A Story of a Girl Named Deadly: The Camp HalfBloo
by Joker6817
Summary: Deadly, a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, returns to Half-Blood Hill where know one knows that she's a goddess. While Deadly runs into old friends, she also reconnects with old enemies. Her number one enemy: Nico Di Angelo.
1. Chapter 1

D-E-A-D-L-Y. Deadly. That's my name and one word to describe me. I'm the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. I'm like the brunette version of my mom on the outside. I get my personality from my dad. That's why my name is Deadly Beau. Apparently Apollo got this "vision" of me before I was born and whatever he saw made my parents decide on the name Deadly. Everyone always assumes I'm a daughter of Hades but that'd be to cliché, even for him.

At the moment I'm waiting for my chariot to Half-Blood Hill. Trust me, driving with Ares isn't as fun as you'd think. He's such a reckless driver and I tend to get motion sickness but I love him all the same. My mom and I stayed up for hours last night packing. She personally hand picked all my outfits. Even though I'm going to camp Half-Blood, I let her do her thing. She means well and heels make excellent weapons. My dad's chariot pulled up and he loaded it up with my suitcases. Yes, I'm taking suitcases. That's what happens when Aphrodite's in charge of packing. "You're mom never changes." My dad snickered. I rolled my eyes, "I know dad, I know." He hopped in the chariot and motioned for me to do the same. "Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked with a smirk. "What?" I held back a laugh. Confusing the god of war is a lot more fun they you'd think. Well considering he won't harm me in any physical or emotional way like he would to the average demigod, mortal, or monster. "Your disguise." He looked down avoiding my gaze, "Right." Then he went from scary, war-hungry, Ares to snotty, sophisticated-looking, lawyer dude. "A suit?" I arched an eyebrow. "Shut up and get in, Deadly." He snapped. I put my hands up in surrender, "Fine." I clomped over in my leather pumps. "I can't believe you're wearing that to camp." My dad shook his head. "Blame mom, not me." I said with a smile. My dad whipped the reins and we were off to Half-Blood Hill.

"Seriously, Deadly, it'll be impossible to fight in that. Why didn't you bring jeans and sneakers?" Ares was still complaining about my wardrobe. "I can still fight in this! Heels are like an extra weapon." He thought it over and let out a deep breath, "At least for you they are." We both started cracking up. I got all giddy when I saw Thalia's tree and the dragon. "We're here!" I started pointing to the ground. My dad landed the chariot a couple of miles away from camp. He transformed it into a limousine and made the skeletal horses into a creepy looking driver. It had a human body but a horse head and leathery skin. "Weird." I mumbled when the thing started driving. "It's better than nothing." Ares sighed from my left. "True." I blew a stray piece of hair out of my face. My dad and I were silent for the rest of the bumpy ride.

The limo pulled right up to the Big House. Chiron trotted out. "Um, dad?" He's so careless sometimes. Oh gods, I sound like my mother. "Yeah kid?" He snapped his fingers and the horse dude's head was normal looking. "You're supposed to be mortal!" He looked down at his apparel, "I know." I smacked my forehead. "Mortals don't make it past the entrance!" He bit his lip so he wouldn't swear. "I knew that." I was shaking my head at him. "I'll just stay in the car then." Ares said in monotone. " 'Kay. Bye." He patted my shoulder, "Bye, Deadly." The creepy driver opened the door and my eyes grew wide. Half the camp was standing around the limo. All their eyes were on me. "Aren't you people supposed to be sword fighting or something?" I asked, showing the Ares part of me. They all scattered like their lives depended on it. "Deadly!" Rebecca Tramonto, Daughter of Eos, exclaimed. She still had on her armor from the arena. She came running up to me and crushed me into a hug. Since she had the armor on she knocked the wind out of me. "Becca….Can't….Breathe…" I choked out. "Sorry!" She squeaked and let go of me. "Can I be of any assistance?" Trevor Comissari, Son of Asklepoios, teased. "I think I'll live." I gave him a quick hug before Becca dragged me over to Chiron. "Hey, Chiron." I waved. He bowed, being the well-mannered centaur we all know and love, "Hello, Deadly." I took a step towards him and loudly whispered, "I think Becca's on something." I felt someone's hand thump me on the head. "Ow!" I rubbed my head. Chiron laughed , "Girls, calm down." I turned around and pointed a finger at Becca, "So it was you?" She nodded her head all proud. "Hey look everyone Queen of the Barbies is back!" I felt steam coming out of my ears when I turned to face Nico De Angelo and his brothers. "Miss me, Deadly?" Nico strolled up to me. "Can't say I did. I mean without you around I don't have to waste money on air fresheners." He looked at me like I was crazy. "You reek of the Underworld, can't say it's a pleasant smell." I scrunched my nose to prove my point. He stalked off and his brothers followed him.

"Um, Deadly?" Becca piped up. "Yeah?" She looked at the ground. "." She let out in one breath. "I got none of that." She rolled her eyes, "I thought you said you liked the smell of the underworld." My cheeks flushed red. Trevor started laughing. "I….uh…I….um…well…" She was right. I remember telling her the only thing I liked about Nico and his brothers was that they smell good. I know, weird, but I was trying to be nice. "Just help me get my stuff." I stomped over to my suitcases and grabbed two of them. Trevor and Becca each grabbed one. My mom also has trouble packing light. They followed me to the Aphrodite cabin and helped me bring them in. "Need any help unpacking?" Trevor asked. Does he think I was born yesterday? "Nope." "Are you sure? I'd be more than hap-" "Trevor if you want to hit on my sisters, wait until dinner okay?" He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. "Fine." Then he left me, Becca, and my four suitcases in the Aphrodite cabin. "Well…..I better get back to the arena. Bye!" Becca sprinted for the door. Now it was just me and my suitcases. I unlocked my closet and started to unload my bags. After I finished unpacking I left for the dining hall. I was unaware of the note that fell out of my suit case and onto the floor.

I was late for dinner and ran to the Aphrodite table in my heels. "Deadly!" My sister, Ashley, chimed. "Hey Ash." I waved to the rest of my sisters and took my seat at the head of the table. Chiron stood and all noise stopped. "Now that everyone is here," He looked at me and I hung my head, "We can begin." When it was our turn to go to the hearth I stood up and walked toward the fire. My sisters were right behind me. I threw in some ribs for Ares and mixed vegetables for Aphrodite (she's vegetarian). "Hi Hestia." I whispered on my way back to the table. She nodded her head and smiled. I took my seat at head of the table and realized everyone was starring at me. "What?" I blurted. I clamped my hand over my mouth as everyone became interested in their food. It's not exactly polite to talk while sacrificing to the gods. I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked over at the Hades table and locked eyes with Nico Di Angelo. He wasn't looking at me with hate in his eyes like he normally does. Freaky.

After dinner Becca and I were walking around the camp grounds. We were talking about the usual; sword fighting, how to prank the Hades boys, and capture the flag strategies. Out of the blue Becca asked, "What was up with your eyes?" I gave her the "look". "At dinner, your eyes were on fire." I felt shivers go down my spine. "Wh-what?" I've never told anyone I'm a goddess. Circe made this potion that slowed down the process. I would become a full goddess on my 21st birthday. I'm only sixteen now. "Are you sure? I mean-" "The whole camp saw it, your eyes looked like Ares's." I heard foot steps coming from the woods. Nico came out of the shadows and approached me. "Can I talk to you?" What would he want to talk about with me? It's got to be a prank. "No." I turned on my heel but he grabbed my forearm. "We need to talk." He dragged me back to the woods. If it weren't for his iron grip I wouldn't have went with him.

When we got really deep into the woods I started to struggle. "What are you doing?" I asked after a while. "I just want to talk." There was a full moon out. "About what?" I snapped. "What happened to your eyes?" Nico asked the same question as Becca. "I….I don't know." Which was the truth. I don't know how it happened but I do know it probably had something to do with my dad. "Are you sure?" His eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. Um, let's pretend I didn't say that. "No." I said sarcastically. "Why do you even care?" Nico and I have never really been friendly. We either ignore or insult each other. "I don't….can't a guy be curious?" He seemed a little nervous. "Why were you staring at me at dinner?" He took a step back, "I-I….Your eyes, that's why." The Prince of the Underworld is a bad liar? Hades will be so disappointed. "Don't lie to me Nico." He laughed humorlessly, "You think I'm lying?" I got in his face, "I know you are." Nico took a step back. "You wouldn't believe me if I was telling the truth anyway." I smirked, "So you admit to lying?" "Yeah, I do." I turned on my heel and headed back to camp. I could have sworn I heard Nico whisper "I care about you." but I wasn't sure.

I ran back to my cabin, frustrated as Hades. Yes, I ran in heels. It's not that hard to do, well for me anyway. Most of my sisters were there. Everyone except for Christina, Melissa, and Aurora. They were probably out with their boyfriends. Christina's dating a guy from Hermes, Melissa is dating a son of Athena, and Aurora's with, actually I don't know who Aurora's with. Ashley and Samantha were sitting on Ashley's bed talking about something. I wasn't interested in the least until I heard Samantha whisper my name. I walked right up to them and they stopped talking, "If you're going to talk about me, try to make it less obvious." Samantha fumble with a pillow case but Ashley stood up, "Deadly, we just want to know what happened to your eyes." I swear if one more person asks me that I'm going to throw them in the Sea of Monsters. "I don't know, okay? I would never have known it even happened if Becca didn't tell me." I gazed at Samantha, she still wouldn't look me in the eyes. "Sam, I'm not Medusa and I'm not going to feed you to a Minotaur, either." She looked up and I noticed she was blushing, "I know." She whispered meekly. Samantha shielded her face with her curly blonde hair and walked back to her bed. I turned to find Ashley smiling like a lunatic. "What?" She twisted her red hair around her finger, "I saw you go off with Di Angelo." My sisters really need to get a hobby. "Don't even start, Ash, he just wanted to know what was up with my eyes." She bit her lip and crossed her arms. That's her "thinking" pose. "I thought….hmm….Whatever, it's his own problem now." I really should have asked my dad to claim me, I'm pretty sure the Ares cabin is talking about war strategies not Nico Di Angelo. "Okay, I have no idea what you're talking about and I have a feeling I don't want to know. So goodnight." I went to my closet, got changed into my pajamas and climbed up to my top bunk. "Lights out!" I heard a few of my sisters groan. "C'mon Deadly." Jennifer asked, "Just another hour." I pretended to think about it, "Well, when you put it that way," She smiled proudly, "No." Her faced dropped so fast, it was priceless. "Lights out!" This time the lights went out and the Aphrodite cabin was silent. Let's just say my sisters literally think they need their beauty sleep.

I had trouble falling asleep that night. What Ashley said about Nico was eating away at my insides. Trust me, I've known that Nico's had problems but they were never serious. Did Ashley mean she was going to help him? Or that he was supposed to ask me to help him? Then again, why do I care? It's Nico Di Angelo I'm talking about here. The boy that calls me Queen of the Barbies and gave my Pegasus red bull (it's a long story). He thrives on making me angry and embarrassing me so why do I care? I pushed all thoughts of Nico to the back of my head and slowly drifted to sleep.

"Deadly!" I rolled out of my bunk and fell to the floor. It would have hurt if Ashley's stuff animal collection wasn't there to catch me. I rubbed my eyes and looked up to see a very angry Melissa. "Yes?" I groaned. "Nico wants to talk to you." She said through gritted teeth. I stood up and steadied myself. "Why?" I stretched myself and groggily walked to my closet. I quickly changed and threw my hair in a ponytail. I grabbed a pair of Christina's sunglasses on my way out the door. She won't notice they're missing. I turned around and wanted to laugh. Everyone was back in their beds, fast asleep. If you're wondering why Melissa was mad, it was because Nico ruined her "beauty sleep."

Nico was leaning against the oak tree near my cabin. He was wearing all black like always and he was scowling . He looked up and motioned for me to come over. Reluctantly, I walked over to him. "Hey." He said emotionlessly. "What do you want Nico?" He smirked, "You really hate me don't you?"

"I don't…hate you," I whispered. "Sure you don't ." I really don't hate him. I hate what he does to me. "Well we both know you hate me, so there shouldn't be any hard feelings." I said acidly. "Deadly, I don-"

"Save it Di Angelo." I sneered. "If you would shut up for five minutes I'd get to the point." I bit my lip to shut myself up. If Nico was going to try to talk to me civilized something must be wrong. "No one's been given a quest." I didn't say anything so he kept going, "Chiron and I have been talking and we think that the Oracle, Rachel, has been waiting for someone." I raised my eyebrows at him. What is he getting at? "Deadly, you just got here yesterday and you haven't seen Rachel yet, right?" I didn't even know Rachel was at camp . "I haven't seen Rachel but Nico….it can't be me. As much as I hate to admit it, you deserve a quest more than me. You've been on them before, I haven't." He actually smiled when I said that. "Deadly, it has to be you." I shook my head, "No, it doesn't. It could be a new camper that hasn't gotten here yet." Nico pondered over it. The Oracle couldn't be waiting for me. I'm not cut out for a quest. I'm not good with team work and working together. I'm a leader. I boss people around. I don't get bossed around. If the Oracle is waiting for me, I'd have to lead the quest. I wouldn't be able to chose who would come with me. If I were to bring Trevor and Becca I'd be worried about them nonstop. If I were to bring people I don't really care about the quest would be a complete failure. "I know it's you." Nico pulled me from my thoughts. "How can you be so sure? Aphrodite girls never get quests." Since no one knows Ares is my dad, I'm an Aphrodite girl. That's why he had to pretend to be mortal when he dropped me off at camp. "I had a dream, it was you." Crap. Demigod dreams are never just dreams. They always mean something. Sometimes they're premonitions and other times it's something that's happened in the past. "You dream about me?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. Nico turned crimson. I had to stifle a laugh. The Prince of the Underworld, Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades was blushing. I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. "Shut up!" I just kept laughing. "Deadly!" "But…your…face…is….so….red!" I choked out. He stalked off to gods-only-know-where as I laughed like a hyena.

I went back to cabin with tears in my eyes. Yes, I was laughing that hard. My sisters were all awake. Half of them were doing their hair, the other half their make up. I took a shower, dried my hair and put my clothes back on. I only wore them for about ten minutes so what's the point of wearing something else? After drying my hair I threw it in a ponytail and put on a little lip gloss. It took me a half hour to get ready. When I left the cabin some of my sisters were still doing their hair and make up. I smirked when I heard Sabrina whisper, "How does she do that?" to Aurora. On my way to breakfast I ran into Snake and Spike, Nico's twin brothers. "Hey Barbie." Spike annoyingly greeted. They high- fived each other in accomplishment. "You really need to get lives." I groaned. "We have lives, Deadly." I put on a fake smile, "So you do know my real name!" I walked away shaking my head at the idiots. I walked into the dinning hall to find the Aphrodite table empty. Did I mention my sisters take forever to get ready? The Ares cabin probably ate at six this morning and are in the sword fighting arena by now. I threw some bacon for my dad in the hearth and some eggs for my mom. Instead of going back to my table I sat and ate with Hestia. "Good morning, Deadly." Hestia looked like she was eight years old. She prefers to appear as a little girl for some reason. "Morning, Hestia." I bowed my head. "Deadly, there's no need to bow." I looked around to make no one could hear us. "It would be rude and disrespectful if I didn't." The goddess shook her head and laughed, "It would be rude and disrespectful only for a demigod but Deadly, you and I are equals." Of course she's right. I just wish she wasn't. Then again, I'm officially a goddess on my 21st birthday. "Technically we aren't." Hestia laughed again, "You do not wish to be immortal, correct?" I blushed in embarrassment. Hestia and I share a similar fate. We will live forever. Sometimes I wonder if it's a gift or a curse. Once I'm immortal, I'll lose all my demigod friends. "I'm not sure Hestia." She patted my knee, "You will soon." I finished my meal and bid her good bye.

I keep thinking about what she said on my way to the sword fighting arena. I feel like I'll never know if I want to be a goddess or not. I don't have a choice in the matter but sometimes I wish I did. "Deadly." Yes folks, it's the one, the only Nico Di Angelo. "Yeah?" I noticed he had his Stygian Iron black sword with him and decided not to make him angry. "Go see Rachel." He said demandingly. "No." I answered bluntly. "Why do you have to be so difficult?" He actually used some emotion while speaking. I think it was aggravation but I wasn't sure. "It's in my blood." I said without thinking. "Aphrodite girls' are supposed to be beautiful not aggravating." I felt my blood boil. "Are you saying I'm ugly?" His jaw dropped. He shook his head, "N-no." I crosses my arms. "You haven't met my dad." I said through gritted teeth. I started walking away to my cabin. Stupid Nico. He has no common sense. I mean if I- "Deadly!" Speak of the devil's spawn. "What? Wanna insult me more?" He looked my right in the eyes, "No, I just want you to go see Rachel." I bit my lip, "Fine…but you're coming with me." Nico seemed shocked. Underneath his bangs I bet his eyes were wide. "What?" I took a deep breath, "You're," I pointed at him, "Coming," I motioned with my hands, "With," I grabbed his hand, "Me," I pointed at myself. "Fine." He growled. We started walking towards the Big House. When we were half way there I realized Nico and I were holding hands. I pulled mine away from his slowly. "Uh…."He coughed out. "Don't say anything." I threatened. He was silent. I was surprised, usually he's not so obedient. Then again, that was awkward.

I didn't know whether or not to be relieved or nervous when I found Rachel. She was working on a painting. It was of a girl, probably a half-blood. The girl in the painting had long, brown, curly hair with blue highlights. It was thrown in a ponytail and she was . He face was covered in dirt and so were here clothes. "New camper?" I asked the artist. She bolted upright but her muscles relaxed when she realized it was me and Nico. "I think so." Rachel answered. "She's either a camper or a hunter." She added. "I think Deadly's the one." Nico said out of the blue. Rachel's eyes grew wide in excitement, "Oh my gods! You guys are getting married? That's so cool. I mean you're a little young but-" "Rachel I'm not getting married. Ever. Especially not to him." She smacked her forehead, "Right. Sorry. Nico what-" Rachel's eyes glowed green and she spoke in a creepy voice, _**"Three shall head west, only two survive the test, the journey brings two together, possibly forever, all depends on the goddess, who must conquer this quest." **_Then Rachel went back to her regular, 21 year old, red-headed self. Nico had a smile on his face, "Told you." I was too confused to say anything back. That made no sense what-so-ever. _**Three shall head west, **_but why? The second line is understandable and I kind of understand the third and fourth. The last two are confusing to me. _**"All depends on the goddess, who must conquer this quest." **_


	2. Chapter 2

Once Rachel returned to normal and resumed painting Nico and I left the Big House. "Do you understand it?" I asked him truly puzzled. "No, but that's the point. You're only supposed to understand it after it's happened." He explained with his hands in his pockets. "Well, that's convenient." I stated sarcastically. Nico laughed for a brief second. Then something struck me, "This is the first time we've been nice to each other in how long?" He walked right in front of me and turned to face me, "I don't know. Probably since we've met one another." I nodded my head. He was, unfortunately, right. "What are you going to do about the quest?" Nico asked, changing the subject. "Nothing." I stated bluntly. I didn't want to go on the quest and I'm pretty sure I don't have to. "You can't just do nothing." Apparently Nico disagrees with me. Shocker. "Why not?" Just because _everyone_ goes on their quest doesn't mean I have to. It's good to be different every once in awhile. Plus, it's safer. "You just can't." Isn't that a great answer? Very detailed in my opinion. "You're so specific it kills me." I rolled my eyes. "Deadly, you can't just do nothing." Nico repeated. "I think you said that already." Nico groaned and rolled his eyes, "You're impossible." I smiled and took a bow, "Why thank you Nico." He was getting more aggravated by the minute. I was loving it. "Why don't you wanna go?" Nico asked after recomposing himself. "Why would I want to go?" Truth was, I didn't have a answer to his question. Well, I didn't have a good enough answer. "You'd be able to understand what the Oracle meant. You wouldn't be wondering what it means twenty years from now." 1 point Nico, 0 points Deadly. "Let's just pretend I go on the quest, ok?" He nodded his head and motioned for me to go on. "Who would I bring with me? How would I get west? What if I'm not the demigod that dies?" I asked in a rush. "Me. Shadow travel. Do you want to die?" Oh gods, if he only used his brain for the greater good and not evil. Then again his dad _is_ Hades. "Three people are going on the quest. Isn't shadow travel exhausting? No. I just don't want someone to die because of me." He smirked, "Take Becca. It was when I first starting doing it. There is no way you're a daughter of Aphrodite." I bit my lip, "I'm not risking Becca's life. I meant for me. Do you not remember me getting claimed?" Nico looked me dead in the eyes, "Fine. Not sure. I remember." I crossed my arms, "You never give up do you?" He smirked, again. "Nope." He said popping the "p" in a very Un-Prince of the Underworld way.

I stalked off to Chiron, unaware that Nico was following me. "Deadly, Nico." Chiron bowed his human half while the horse half was perfectly still. I bowed my head and if Nico wasn't a totally idiot he probably did the same. I turned around, "Will you quit following me?" I growled through gritted teeth at Nico. He just smiled and walked closer to Chiron. "She has a quest." He said proudly to Chiron. The centaur looked as if a wave of relief flooded through him. "Finally. Deadly, who are you bringing with you and when do you plan on leaving?" I looked at him wide eyed, "Who said I was going?" Chiron's hoof pounded the ground underneath him. "You have to go." Nico got a smug look on his face. He knew I would never disobey Chiron, no matter how much I wanted. "Fine. I don't know who's going with me but I want to leave in three days." The old centaur nodded his head in approval, "Very well, but if you don't chose your companions but sunset tomorrow I'll chose them for you." I clenched my fist, "Fine." Chiron looked my in the eyes, "You're doing the right thing, Deadly." I hung my head in shame. If I didn't go thing could be tragic. Even for mortals but especially for demigods. "I'll go with her Chiron." Nico said with respect. Chiron seemed surprised at first. Everyone knows Nico and I don't get along. We're like day and night, cats and dogs, rain and sunshine, etc. "Deadly, do you approve?" I knew deep down Chiron was praying to the gods for me to say yes. Nico's been on quests before and he'll know what he's doing. Both Chiron and Nico were staring at me intently. I clenched and unclenched my fists, "Yes." The old centaur smiled and Nico pumped his fist in the air. I really hope I didn't just make the biggest mistake of my never ending life.

Shortly after I agreed to having Nico join me on my quest Chiron went to check on the kids in the infirmary. After everything that's happened today I had some questions to ask Nico and I was going to get some answers. "Let's go for a walk." Nico seemed surprised by the request. "Um, okay." I walked towards the woods and motioned for him to follow. We walked for ten minutes in silence, stepping over fallen trees and waving to tree nymphs. "So why are we doing this?" Nico asked once we reached Zeus's fist. I climbed on the rocks and took a seat, "I wanted to talk to you about…stuff." He looked at me quizzically, I rolled my eyes and patted the seat next to me. He jumped up and sat down. "What kind of stuff?" This boy really knows how to irritate a person but then again so do I. "Why do you want me to go on the quest?" I said in one breath. He knitted his eyebrows together and played with his fingers, something he does when he's nervous or thinking. "You've never been on one before. It's an experience every demigod needs to have." Three words : What. A. Lie. "Since when do you care about my experiences in life? Let alone every demigod's." He laid on his back and put his hands behind his head. " I don't. It was the best thing I could come up with." He said to the sky. "Most people don't tell the people they hate when they're lying." I teased. He switched to sitting position, "I told you, I don't hate you." Nico stated bluntly. "I don't believe you." I whispered. He slid of the rocks and left me all alone in the woods. What a gentleman.

I eased myself of Zeus's fist and began my journey back to camp. "That just proves my theory." I heard a female voice say from behind me. I turned slowly and prayed to the gods that the girl isn't crazy. The girl was standing on Zeus's fist and was smiling wickedly. "What theory?" She jumped down and walked closer to me, "That all guys are jerks." I laughed and she joined in too. Once our laughter died down I managed to get a closer look at the girl. She was the person Rachel was painting earlier. I noticed she had a bracelet with a moon and stars engraved into the silver band. "That's cool." I said, pointing to her wrist. "Yeah, I know." She said jokingly. "I'm Deadly Beau and yeah, Deadly is my real name." The girl nodded her head, "Cool, I'm Zoey Luna." All of a sudden a very tired looking Grover ran over to us. "Zoey….please…..stay…with me…..Hi, Deadly." He said in between breaths. "Hey, Grover." I gave him a hug for old time's sake. "Can…you…take…her….back….to…camp?" Grover pointed at Zoey. "Sure, tell Juniper I said hi." He nodded his head and darted to his girlfriend's tree.

"I don't know why he thinks I need a babysitter." Zoey mumbled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't heading back to camp in the first place." She laughed. We were quiet for the rest of the walk. It wasn't awkward, though. It gave us both a chance to think. When we were out of the woods I spotted Spike and Snake near the campfire. I stopped walking and grabbed the back of Zoey's shirt. She turned around with a confused expression. I put a finger to my lips and she nodded her head. I pointed to the twins with a sly smile. "What's the plan?" She whispered. I took in my surroundings and evaluated what would be useful and what would not. Hestia was tending a newly lit fire. She had dry wood all around her, they would be perfect for torches. "Just follow my lead." Zoey nodded her head and we quietly crept to the fire. Hestia opened her mouth to speak but I put a finger to my mouth and she nodded her head. Snake and Spike were fooling around with something with their backs turned to us. I pointed to the pile of sticks near Hestia's legs. She picked up two sticks and handed them to me. I dipped half of a branch in the fire making it a torch. I handed the inflamed branch to Zoey and repeated my steps with the other branch. I advanced towards the twins with Zoey close behind. They were still oblivious to everything going on around them. I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation before I attacked. I motioned for Zoey to stop and leaned in to listen.

"He's insane." Snake said to Spike. "She is beautiful, though." Spike answered with a dreamy smile. Who are they talking about? This is why I don't like pronouns people. "Yeah, she is but she's still lethal." They both snickered and I prayed to the gods that would stopped using pronouns. "Do you think Nico has the guts to tell her?" Spike used a proper noun. Yay! So he=Nico. What does she equal? "He's in love with her. No way does he have the guts to say that….but if he ever does I hope I'm there to see her face." They snickered again. My patience was wearing thin. Who's the girl they're talking about? "Of all people to fall in love with Nico fell for D-" I threw my torch at Spike and Zoey threw hers at Snake. I ran to the Big House and hopefully Zoey followed.

We ended up running into Rachel who was in the middle of an art project. "Hey Rachel, this is Zoey, she's a new camper. Do you mind if we hide here?" Rachel wasn't paying attention to us so she just mumbled, "Yeah, sure, whatever." I dragged Zoey up to the attic. It was still filled with souvenirs from quests demigods have been on. Let's just say some souvenirs are more gruesome than others, says me from explaining all the gory details and you from reading them. "Seriously, Deadly? Hiding out in an attic?" Zoey raised her eyebrows at me. "Look, if we stuck around we would have gotten caught. I don't get caught." I look over and spotted my mother's pink scarf. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase brought it back from a quest. "Why didn't you wait for the twins to say who the girl was?" I shrugged my shoulders. "It would have been perfect blackmail on that Nico kid. Now all we know is her name starts with a D." Zoey obviously hasn't realized that _my_ name starts with a D. So I was a little worried they were referring to me. Okay, I was really worried. "Deadly, I can't believe you gave up blackmail! I mean, wait, your name begins with a D. You don't think they were talking about you, right?" I bit my lip, "I don't know and I don't want to know, okay?" She put her hands up in surrender. I peaked out the one window in the attic and saw Snake and Spike being carried to the infirmary. I choked on my laugh when I realized Chiron was looking up at the attic, through the window, in my eyes. "DEADLY!" He shouted, making me cringe. "Time to go?" Zoey asked sarcastically. "Yup." I was already halfway downstairs. I bumped into Rachel on my way outside. "Sorry!" I called over my shoulder. I ran outside to Chiron, who just so happened to be with a very unhappy Nico. "What did you do?" The Underworld's prince asked. He wasn't too polite if you ask me. Well, not with the tone he used or the fact he was glaring at me. "I kinda set them on….fire." Someone patted me on the shoulder, "And I helped." Zoey said with a huge smile. I would have laughed if Chiron and Nico weren't glaring at me. "You could have killed them!" Nico shouted. "Nico, your dad is Hades, you know the god of the underworld? I'm sure he'd resurrect them or something." I'm pretty sure Nico wanted to strangle me. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist. "If you haven't noticed my father hates me and my brothers." I crossed my arms, "I wouldn't blame him if he did but he doesn't hate you." It's true. I've talked Hades and he speaks highly of his sons. He does love them but I mean you can't expect much affection from a guy who's surrounded by dead people all the time. "How would you know?" Crap. Dear gods, help me! "Because, you know, he… remembered your birthdays. Doesn't he always send a gift?" Nico gritted his teeth, "No." I pretended to pout, "Don't lie, Nico." Hades told me he always sends something. It's amazing how I get along with the god of the underworld and yet the goddess of marriage and family hates me. Gods these days. "I'm not lying, Deadly. You set my brothers on fire, nearly killing them, then you mention my father, and now you're calling me a liar. Are you freaking heartless?" I'll admit that stung. "Who gave you your sword? Or that ring you love so much? And who fought titans because you convinced him to?" He was speechless so I kept going, "And after all the crap you and your brothers put me through be happy I didn't use Greek fire or they would be dead. My mother's the goddess of love, you sound like an idiot calling me heartless." Chiron cleared his throat, "Deadly, you owe Snake and Spike an apology and Nico you owe Deadly an apology." I looked at him like he was crazy. Apologize? To Snake and Spike? "Deadly take Zoey with you since you both were involved." I nodded my head and lead Zoey to the infirmary.

"Stay out here, you can go in when I'm done." She nodded her head and I entered the infirmary. Snake and Spike were on two cots and burnt really bad. They looked uglier than usual. "Hey, boys." Their heads snapped in my direction at the same time. "Why are you here?" Spike asked with venom in his voice. "To apologize." I mumbled. "What? I didn't hear you. Speak up?" Snake had a smug smile on his face. "TO APOLOGIZE!" I screeched at them. They both had shocked expressions on their faces. I realized Trevor was the one taking care of them. "Deadly, keep it down." He said from the side of Snake's cot. "But-" "You've caused enough problems for one day. You almost killed them." Trevor said in a serious voice. "When did you start siding with them?" The twins eyes switched from me to Trevor. "What you did was stupid, Deadly. If you wanted to get back at them you could have done something a little less heartless." I felt my eyes start to water. Trevor was one of my best friends and he called me heartless. The same word Nico used to describe me. The only difference is that when Nico said it, it felt like someone punched me in the gut, when Trevor said it, it felt like someone dropped a piano on my head. I felt tears running down my face as I said, "Snake, Spike I'm sorry about the fire." I turned to Trevor, "I'm sorry." He looked confused, "For what?" I brushed away some tears, "I'm sorry for ever considering you as a friend, Trevor." I turned on my heel and left the infirmary.


	3. Chapter 3

My vision was blurring as I ran from the infirmary. I couldn't see where I was going. Everything was just blurs of color. I realized a black blur a little to late and collided with it. I fell to the ground with a loud thud. "Deadly, why can't you watch where you're going?" I pulled my knees to my chest and sobbed as Nico realized I was crying. He kneeled in front of me, "What's wrong?" He caressed my cheek, forcing me to look him in the eyes. My vision was still blurry. Nico was just a blur of black and white. I was so frustrated that I slapped him across the face. I stood up, "Everything." I tried to walk away but Nico got to his feet fast and dragged me somewhere. I still had trouble seeing because the tears wouldn't stop falling.

Once Nico stop pulling me like a rag doll he shoved me up against a wall. "When will you stop?" He asked aggravated. He was mere inches away from my face. "Stop what?" I whispered. Nico put both arm on either side of me. I was trapped against the wall. "Stop blaming me for everything." He said through gritted teeth. I tried to push him away but he was too strong. Stupid muscles. "Will you let go of me?" I started punching his chest but he wouldn't budge. He pinned my wrists to my side and his body against mine. I stopped crying when I started punching Nico. I made me feel better because I was taking my anger out on him. "Nico what-" He pressed his lips to mine. I was to shocked to do anything. He just kept kissing me as stood frozen to the spot. He moved his hand from my wrists to my waist. I snaked my arms around his neck after he pulled me even closer. We pulled apart gasping for air. "Deadly, I-" I slapped him across the face and ran to the Eos cabin.

I pounded the door vigorously with my fist, "Becca! Get your butt out here now or-" The door swung open and Becca leaned on the door frame, "You called?" She crossed her arms and smirked. "Meet me at the beach in five, okay?" Her eyes went wide, "That bad?" I rolled my eyes, "You have no idea." She laughed and nodded her head, "See you in five." She shut the door as I walked to the beach. When Becca and I got really close we decided to meet at the beach when we had something important to talk about. Not many campers go to the beach. Usually, only children of Poseidon are there and he has very few children. I took my shoes off and rolled up my pants. I walked up to the water's edge feeling at ease. The water was warm as it surrounded my feet. "Deadly!" Becca called from behind me. With a deep breath I walked back to Becca. She plopped down on the sand and patted the ground next to her. I sat next to her and silently thanked the gods that no one was at the beach. "So…." Becca titled her had to the side and stared at me. I took a deep breath, "I never want to talk to Trevor again and Nico kissed me. Oh, look a birdie. Did you know-" "Whoa, don't change the subject. You kissed Nico? Nico Di Angelo?" Her eyes were wide in excitement. Don't ask me what she was excited about because I have no idea. "Correction, Nico kissed me." She rolled her eyes, "Did you kiss back?" I started drawing random pictures in the sand, "Maybe." Becca shoved my shoulder, "Oh my gods! You and Nico! Finally! You guys are so cute together! I can't believe-" "What are you talking about? After our little make out session I slapped him in the face and ran away." Her jaw went slack and her eyes were cloudy. "You what?" I stood up and ran across the beach. Why is every not happy with me?

I started to run into the forest when I got close to the boundary line. Once I was completely surrounded by trees I stopped running and aimlessly wandered through the woods. When I came across Zues's fist I was surprised I was still alone. I climbed on the rocks and laid across the top. I put my arms behind my head and looked up at the sky. The sky was seemed crowded with big puffy clouds that hovered in front of the sun. I bet Apollo wasn't too happy about that. "No, I'm not." I jumped into a sitting position and looked around. No one was there. I must be hearing things. "You're not." I hopped off Zues's fist and spun around. I still didn't see anyone. "Who's there?" I asked while backing up into a tree. I blinked and then a twenty year old guy with blonde hair and tan skin stood before me. He was a god, literally. "Apollo, you scared me." He smirked, "Sorry, Deadly." I rolled my eyes, "I can feel the remorse in your voice." He laughed and backed up a bit, "Gods, I missed you, Olympus is too serious without you." I knew I was blushing because he started laughing harder. "Oh, shut up! How did you hear my thoughts?" Please don't be a mind reader, please don't be a mind reader. "You said those things out loud." Oops. Well, at least he's not a mind reader. "Right, let's go to camp! I bet your kids want to see you." I bet you've never had to say that to your friends before. At least I hope not. "I don't know Deadly, I mean-" "Apollo I wasn't asking you, I was telling you." I grabbed his hand and started leading him towards camp. "When was the last time you even saw them?" He tensed, "I don't remember." I stopped walking which caused him to be yanked backwards. "How can you not remember? They're your kids. Apollo you promised-" "I didn't swear on the River of Styx." I let go of his hand and stormed to the Apollo cabin.

I knocked on the door four or five times and still got no answer. "If someone doesn't open the door I will tell your father!" Within two seconds a short little blonde boy answered the door, "How could you tell my dad?" He looked no older than eight and he was so cute. "He's here to visit you and your siblings." The little boys face lit up and he ran back into the cabin, leaving the door ajar. I peaked in and saw no one. "Little dude, where'd you go?" I walked in and shut the door behind me. "I'm over here!" I looked in the corner and there he was. He had a yellow polo shirt on and kakis. He was putting on some Dockers when I found him. I realized he was getting dressed up to see his dad. "Need any help?" He was sitting on his bed trying to tie his shoes. His little cheeks were burning red, "Yes, please." I knelt in front of him and tied his shoes. "What's your name little guy?" "Jason." He grabbed a brush from his nightstand and started brushing his hair. I wanted to cry when I figured out this must be the first time he's ever seen his dad. Someone knocked on the door and Jason asked me to go get it. I got up from my knees and gave him a quick smile before I got the door. There in all his mighty was Apollo. "How'd you get here before me?" The god asked with a "thinking" expression. "I didn't stop by the water fountain to check myself out." Apollo bowed and said, "Touché." We both started laughing but were interrupted by Jason. "Daddy?" I moved out of the way and let Apollo in the cabin. "Yeah, it's me." Jason went running into Apollo's arms. It looked like something out of a movie. Apollo put his son on his shoulders and they both turned to face me. "Why don't we take Deadly out to dinner Jason?" I felt my eyes pop out of my head. "Apollo, you-" "Let's go out for food!" Jason exclaimed. "What do you say, Deadly?" Jason and Apollo were both giving me puppy dog eyes. Stupid cuteness. "Okay, we'll just have to ask Chiron first." Apollo gave me the "are you serious?" look and I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll tell Chiron we're going out to eat." I didn't realize how hungry I was until they mentioned food. I guess the whole making out with Nico thing made me forget about lunch. "The chariot's a ford mustang today and it's parked near the entrance. We'll meet you there." Apollo and Jason started walking towards the entrance and I left to go look for Chiron.

Fortunately, I found Chiron rather quickly but unfortunately, he was at the Hades cabin. "Excuse me, Chiron, I just needed to tell you that Apollo will be taking me and his son Jason out to dinner tonight." Chiron stopped the conversation he was having with Nico and Tyler. Tyler is obviously another son of Hades. He's sixteen and I don't get along with him any better than I get along with the twins. "Deadly, thank you for informing me but if you don't mind me asking, why is Apollo taking you out to dinner?" My cheeks felt like they were on fire, "Well, I…I'm not entirely sure." Chiron had an amused smile on his face, "Very well, Deadly, make sure Jason's back by nine. He's still very young." I bowed to Chiron, "No problem." I turned to leave but I still saw Nico glaring at me and Tyler trying not to laugh .

As I made my way to Apollo's chariot I was remembering everything that's happened today. I woke up early because of Nico, I talked with Hestia, I met a new Zoey, I kind of set Snake and Spike on fire, I think I lost a friend, Nico kissed me, I slapped him, Becca thinks Nico and I should be together (ew), I ran into Apollo, I met Jason, and now I'm going out to dinner with Apollo and Jason. Just another normal day in my stupid, never ending, gods forsaken life.


	4. Chapter 4

When I made it to the car Apollo and Jason were standing out side of it just talking. They were so cute and they looked so much alike. The only difference was that Jason was platinum blonde and Apollo's hair was golden blonde. Jason was adorable in his yellow polo, kakis, and dress shoes. Apollo must have changed when I went to talk to Chiron. He had on kakis, a blue button down shirt, and Wallabees. I'm not going to lie, he looked drop dead gorgeous but he _is _a god . "Hey, boys." They both turned their heads in my direction and they both had identical smiles on their faces. Jason ran into me and gave me a hug. Well, he gave my legs a hug because he's tiny. "Thank you." He pulled away to look at me. I bit my lip, "Why are you thanking me?" His little face went red, "Because you brought me my daddy." Jason turned and ran to the car. Apollo helped him buckle his seat belt and gave him a kiss on the forehead. I slowly made my way to the car, blinking back tears.

"Deadly, are you okay?" I turned to face Apollo, "I'm fine." He opened the passenger side door, "You sure?" I got in the car and slammed the door shut. In mere seconds Apollo was in the driver's seat and steering us towards the road. We were all quiet, even Jason, for most of the ride. Once we close to the city Jason started babbling from the backseat. "So, where are we gonna eat? I'm really hungry. Can I get dessert, daddy?" Apollo and I had amused smiles etched on our faces, "It's a surprise, Jason. You can have dessert as long as you eat your meal." I was taken aback by Apollo. He is surprisingly a responsible parent and a good one at that. Jason pouted at his father, "Do I have to eat all of it?" I could tell Apollo was stifling a laugh, "Just most of it, okay." Jason let out a big dramatic breath, "Okay." I shook my head at the two of them.

The rest of the ride was in a comfortable silence. I bet you're thinking Apollo and I are dating but we're not. We just happen to be really close friends. I met Apollo when I was eleven and we kind of hit it off due to my sarcasm. A big shocker was when I met Artemis. She and I are also really close which many gods and goddesses found unusual. Artemis and Apollo are twins but have very different personalities. Considering I befriended Apollo first the immortals thought Artemis and I wouldn't get along. The were extremely wrong. In Artemis's words I'm "an independent girl with a surplus of sarcasm and sass" which is why she likes me.

When Apollo pulled into the parking lot for Direttamente da Italia I thought I was going to have a heart attack . I mean it was the most expensive Italian restaurant in New York. "Apollo, don't you think-" "Shut up and enjoy yourself for once or I'll start talking in haiku." I pretended to zip my lips as Apollo parked the car. Trust me, Apollo talking in haiku is not a good thing. It has to be the most annoying thing on the planet, including Olympus.

I remember while I was walking inside the restaurant Jason grabbed my hand. He was so sweet and adorable. He was also very young, which had me wondering why he was attending camp. The only reason I could come up with is that monsters were after him but that's ridiculous. Monsters don't start attacking until the preteen years, Jason is practically a toddler. "What did I tell you?" Apollo whispered in my ear. My heart was going a mile a minute. He pretty much scared my soul out of me. "What do you mean?" Apollo opened the door for me and Jason. He ushered us to a couch in the waiting area and walked up to a very snooty looking Italian dude, leaving my question without an answer.

Jason climbed into my lap and played with the ends of my hair. Apollo joined us a couple of minutes later and informed us that our table would be ready in fifteen. I internally groaned, fifteen minutes might as well be an hour. I guess you can say waiting isn't my thing. "Apollo, can't you use your godly powers to get us at a table and eating faster?" Mr. Sunshine was probably going to reply but I think the sound of screaming New Yorkers stopped him. It's just a guess, though.

I handed Jason to Apollo and sprinted out the door. My adrenaline was pumping as I ran towards the sound of a roaring lion and screaming pedestrians. I cursed under my breath when I saw the Nemean lion's bloodlust eyes aimed at me. I didn't know what people were seeing through the mist but considering they were screaming it wasn't anything ordinary. I wracked my brain for a way to do destroy the monster. I knew that Heracles strangled it to death but I'm not strong enough for that. It's fur was stronger than anything, making it even harder to kill and it's claws were sharper than any sword I could produce. The golden beast got closer and closer and I was running out of options. _Focus on it's weak points, _my father's voice instructed. _Does it even have weak points? _I thought to myself.

I ran towards the monster with determination to kill it. The best let out another earsplitting roar that made my hair fly back and my eyes burn. I ducked behind a deserted taxi cab and rubbed my eyes. Wait, that's it! It's eyes are a weak spot. Now I just need a weapon….

"Deadly!" I looked up to see Mr. Sunshine towering over me. "Yes?" I asked slightly irritated. I mean wouldn't you be irritated if you were trying to figure out how to kill a monster than your friend decides to have a chat? That's what I thought. "Need any help?" If his face was close enough I would have smacked him. Instead my jaw dropped to the pavement. "What do you think? That thing is practically indestructible!" He crouched down next to me so we were eye level, "What's the plan?" All of a sudden a very nice Porsche was in midair then it was on the ground in a million pieces. I hope that person has insurance. "Well, it's eyes are pretty much it's only weak spot so if we aim for the eyes it should die." Apollo nodded his head, "So, where's your sword? Or weapon that your gonna use?" I dropped my gaze to my hands, "About that…" The lion roared once again and I thought my ears were going to bleed. Apollo rolled his eyes then made a bow and arrow with his godly powers. He handed them to me, "You better have good aim." Then he ran back to the restaurant. I jumped to my feet and hopped over the hood of the taxi. The lion was ready to pounce as I got closer. In mere seconds its claw was ready to strike but I ducked behind another deserted car. The monster let out a frustrated cry and smashed the car I was hiding behind. I got to my feet and jumped onto a taxi. I stood on its roof and set up the bow. I had a clear shot to the eyes but the lion was too fast and knocked me off the taxi with its claw. I landed on the asphalt with a loud smack. My blood was boiling as I approached the Nemean lion. I managed to lose the only weapon I had when I was rudely knocked off the taxi cab.

"Here kitty…come and get me!" It raised its claw to strike me once again but ran underneath its stomach so it couldn't touch me. It tried to swipe me with its front paws and tail but I was too quick. The lion put its tail in between its legs and I got an idea. I wrapped my arms and legs around the huge tail and the lion started to have a fit. It was swinging its tail everywhere. I jumped onto its back when I was within distance of it. I climbed near its face and grabbed onto its fur while it started throwing another tantrum. I held on until it calmed down. I tried to stand up but it was close to impossible with my heels. I slipped them off and got another idea. I'm going to have to thank my mother for giving me such pointy shoes. I threw one shoe to the side so it would be easier to move. I slid onto to the lion's nose and gripped its fur once again. It roared and tried to strike me but it ended up hitting itself. I moved closer towards its left eye. Without hesitation I jabbed my leather pump into its eyes. The Nemean lion roared one last time before turning to dust.

I was only happy for a brief moment, though. You see, since I was on the lion's nose when I killed it I kind of fell from however high up its nose was to the grimy streets of New York. "Ow." I sat on up on my butt and rubbed my extremely soar head. I grabbed my right shoe from the pile of monster dust and put it on. "Looking for this?" Apollo held up my other shoe with a stupid smirk plastered on his face. "Duh." I answered while rubbing my head. He gave me his hand that wasn't holding my shoe and pulled me to my feet. He kneeled down then put my shoe on. "Do I look like Cinderella?" I asked while Apollo was pretending to be Prince Charming. "I'm hurt, Deadly." He put his hand over his heart. "Thanks for the help by the way. I mean the way you just ran away, it took a real hero to do that." I said sarcastically. "Shut up, you know I'm not supposed to interfere with a demigod's fight." I rolled my eyes, "So now I'm a demigod?" He smiled his godly perfect smile, "Yup."

Police sirens started to wail and Apollo and I exchanged a look. We sprinted back to the restaurant and snatched Jason from the dessert cart. We hurried to the car and Apollo strapped Jason into his car seat. I jumped in the passenger seat and Apollo sped out of the parking lot and back towards camp.


	5. Chapter 5

"That was so cool! The way you just killed that thing!" Jason apparently had a good view of me killing the Nemean lion. "Thanks little guy." Apollo was trying not to laugh at how excited Jason was. The whole ride so far was filled with Jason praising me for killing the monster. I can't say I wasn't loving every minute of it. I was being told how awesome I was by a five year old, it felt good. Apollo only rolled his eyes every time I was complimented by his son. I guess Jason takes after his mother personality wise.

Jason was silent when Apollo pulled up to the camp's entrance. I was kind of happy to be back at camp. I didn't exactly get to eat while I was fighting the lion. "Well, we're here." Apollo cut the ignition and gracefully got out of the car to help Jason with his car seat. I, on the other hand, didn't get out so gracefully. My foot kind of got stuck in some weird looking substance that luckily wasn't some animal's poop but still gross. "Deadly, can you take him back to camp?" I turned around to see Jason clinging to his dad. Apollo was holding him in his arms with a heartbroken look in his eyes. "Yeah, I can do that but you have to go see your other kids while I put him to bed." Apollo gave me a small smile and started walking into camp with his little boy. I trudged into camp with my muck covered shoes. _Mom, can you fix my shoes?_ I looked down to see the unknown substance melting off my shoe. _Thanks mom. _

I caught up with the boys and after a quick good bye Jason was in my arms and I was headed to the Apollo cabin. We were half way to the Apollo cabin when both our stomachs rumbled. "Deadly, I'm hungry." I knew he would never fall asleep on an empty stomach so I turned around and started walking towards the Big House. "Thanks." He mumbled then buried his head in my neck. "Aw, how cute." A sickly sweet voice said from behind me. I kept walking because I knew exactly who it was. "Did you have a baby, Deadly? I wouldn't be surprised you did something so stupid." I bit my lip and kept walking but Nico just kept following me. I quickened my pace and dropped Jason off at the Big House. I told Jason to ask Rachel or Chiron for some food. I turned on my heel and came face to face with Nico Di Angelo. "What is your problem?" I asked to his stone cold eyes. "I don't know what your talking about." He responded with a smirk. "You know, I really don't get you." He got even closer to me, "And why is that?" I clenched and unclenched my fists to prevent myself from punching him. "First, you make fun of me then you try to say you care about me. Next, you ditch me in the woods and call me heartless. Oh, and you kissed me, which we are going to have to talk about. And now your all-" His lips were against mine again and I was regrettably loving every minute of it. His hands were tangled in my hair and I was gripping his shirt. I felt like my heart was going to bust out of my chest it was beating so fast and I wouldn't have it any other way. Nico's hands trailed to my waist and he pulled me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

Unfortunately, I was running out of air and I had to pull away. Nico rested his forehead against mine as we both gasped for air. Once the oxygen was flowing I realized what I did. I had kissed Nico Di Angelo, again, and I enjoyed it, again. I abruptly pulled away from him, making a gap between us. "I better go check on Jason." Nico reached out to me, "Deadly, I-" "You can come with me, if you'd like." Wait, did I just say that? Why did I say that? It's not like- "Okay, sure." Nico slung his arm over my shoulders and we sauntered inside the Big House.


	6. Chapter 6

I opened the door to the Big House and Rachel came stumbling out. "You guys are finally together!" The red head squeaked. I rolled my eyes and Nico squeezed my shoulder. "Nico, Deadly." Chiron called us from inside the Big House. I by-pasted Rachel and entered the Big House with Nico following close behind. We both bowed to Chiron to show respect. Chiron had a stern look in his eyes so I knew he meant business. "You both seem to be getting along but I'm afraid that you won't be able to go on the quest Nico if you're involved with Deadly." I wasn't sure if I should have been embarrassed or angry. "Chiron, I need him on the quest. He knows what it's like. He'll be able to help me and," I side glanced at Nico whose face was pure stone, "and we'll go back to hating each other because I'd end up dead in a gutter without his help."

I don't know who was more shocked by my little speech, me, Chiron, or Nico. "Very well, since nothing is going on between you two, Nico can go on the quest. Deadly have you decided on the last camper who will be accompanying you?" I thought about it for a moment and one name popped into my head. "Yeah, Zoey Luna. She's the new camper and she's perfect for the job." The old centaur nodded his head, "Have you informed her?" I shook my head no. "I expect you to do it soon since you'll be leaving tomorrow." I nodded my head and then Chiron clopped out of the Big House.

"Deadly, are you in trouble?" I turned around and saw Jason stuffing his face with macaroni and cheese. "No, are you enjoying yourself?" He nodded his head excitedly and went back to stuffing his face. "It was the fastest thing I could make. I would have given him leftovers but….well you know the Ares cabin." I smirked at the thought of my brothers and sisters. They either eat the leftovers or use them for ammo. "The Mac and cheese seems to be a hit so nothing to worry about." Nico cleared his throat from the other side of the room, "Can we talk?" Rachel and I locked eyes for a millisecond, "Sure." We all stood there in silence, except for Jason who was eating rather loudly. "I meant outside." I felt like slapping myself in the face when Nico said that. "Right, uh, Rachel can you take Jason to the Apollo cabin when he finishes eating?" "Yeah, sure, no problem." Rachel answered hastily. I turned around and followed Nico outside.

We walked in silence to the Hades cabin. He went inside probably expecting me to follow. I wasn't quite sure if his brothers were in there or not so I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. Nico poked his head out of the cabin door, "C'mon." I shook my head no. Nico rolled his eyes, "My brothers aren't here, so come on." I bit my lip and checked the perimeter making sure no one was around. I took a deep breath then stepped inside the Hades cabin.

It was surprisingly beautiful. The boys had stainless steel bunk beds with black satin sheets and there was a huge shrine for there father towards the back of the cabin. I walked up to the statue and felt captivated by it. There was this weird mist surrounding the marble version of Hades. It would change colors every few seconds. At first it was purple then green and then- "Deadly, up here."

My head snapped in Nico's direction. He was leaning over the side of a top bunk. I climbed up the metal ladder to his bunk and sat at the foot of the bed while he leaned against the headboard. "So there's nothing going on between us?" Nico asked while staring me straight in the eyes. I always hated when he did that, it was like he could see right through me. "I guess not." Nico's mouth twisted into a scowl. "You guess not?" He spat angrily. "Nico, we don't have much of a choice." I stated firmly even though on the inside I was scared Nico was going to raise an army of the dead and send them after me. "We have choice. If I don't go on the quest we can be together. If I go on the quest we can't have anything to do with each other." Sometimes I wonder if this boy hears himself talk. "Nico if I go on the quest without you I may never see you again. Someone's going to die out west remember? What if that's me? What if-" "Stop thinking like that." The Prince of Darkness sneered. "Why? It's possible Nico. You can't deny that."

He knew I was right; he just has too much pride to admit it. "I could always bring you back." I stared at him as if he had ten heads. "You know I can and I would." He continued. I was speechless. This boy has absolutely no logic what so ever. "If you did that, not only would your father want to kill you, Zeus _will_ destroy you." Nico's face was, as always, emotionless. I didn't know if he was listening to me or completely ignoring every word I was saying. I climbed down the ladder without a word and strolled out of the Hades cabin.

It was practically pitch dark outdoors. I started walking back to my cabin when my heel got stuck in the ground and I twisted my ankle. I was eating dirt within three seconds. The weirdest thing ever is that I didn't scream. It probably would have come in handy at this very moment but Nico managed to get me frustrated enough to be mad about hurting myself instead of feeling pain. I tried to push off the ground but the pressure was too much for my ankle. I groaned and punched the earth beneath me. I folded my arms and rested my head on them. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. When I opened my eyes a pair of black Nike's were in my face, "Need a little help?" A sleek voice asked from above me. I craned my neck and barley made out the facial features of Tyler, Nico's brother. "Maybe just a little." Tyler crouched down on his knees, "Am I gonna have to carry you?" He was serious but his voice always made him sound sarcastic. "Yup, I twisted my ankle. If you need one of the Ares's boys-" "Do I look like a weakling?" Once again he was joking and being serious. I don't know how the boy does it. "No, I was just-" He scooped me up in his arms and carried me bridal style towards the infirmary. "Deadly, I am a mean, lean, fighting machine." Tyler stated confidently while he carried me. If my arms weren't around his neck I would have slapped him upside the head but luck seemed to be on his side today. Gods know it wasn't on mine. "You're really not going to comment? Deadly, I just said I'm a mean, lean, fight-" "I heard you. I just couldn't think of anything pathetic enough to describe it." Tyler showed his pearly whites, "That's the Deadly I know and love." I messed up his hair with my left hand, "You betcha." We both got a small chuckle out of that.

We didn't say much for the rest of our small journey because it didn't last that long. When Tyler walked into the infirmary Spike and Snake's jaws were on the ground. That had to be the first time they have ever been speechless or they were too severely injured to speak. Either way the twins were silent. Another person whose mouth was catching flies was Trevor. His eyes were practically out of his head. I guess you could say I was enjoying the view. "She twisted her ankle and she can't walk on it. Where can I put her?" Tyler asked Trevor.

Trevor snapped out of la la land and pointed to the cot across from Snake. Tyler laid me on the cot gently and then Trevor began inspecting my ankle. Tyler walked over to his brothers and the three of them engaged in a hushed conversation.

"I have good news and bad news…" Trevor was in doctor mode. "Go on." I used my "no duh" voice, it tends to piss him off. "Your ankle isn't sprained or broken but you'll want to keep off it for at least a week." I sighed dramatically, "Okay, I mean you're the expert," Trevor smiled, "But I'm going on a quest tomorrow so nine hours will have to do." His face dropped in 1.3 seconds. "Deadly, you can't go on a quest-" "It's not broken or sprained. I'll be fine." Trevor shook his head and laughed, "You never change." I kicked him in the stomach with my good leg, "Is that your way of saying I'll be heartless forever?" I stumbled off the cot and hobbled towards the sons of Hades.

I steadied myself by holding on to Snake and Spike's beds for support. Something was different about the twins. They weren't…burned. "How?" Snake shrugged his shoulders, "Apollo stopped by and healed everyone." "And by everyone he means us." Spike added. "Yeah…about that. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to almost kill you…." Spike and Snake laughed, "We know. We milked it so you would get in trouble." Tyler shook his head at his brothers, "You shouldn't have said that." The twins exchanged a look, "Why?" They asked in unison. I answered by slapping them in the face.

Tyler laughed at his brothers' stupidity and I smiled in satisfactory. "Ready to go?" Tyler asked. I nodded my head feverishly. He picked me up bridal style once again. "Nico's gonna kill you." Spike said with a smirk. "And why is that?" I asked skeptically. "Oh, no reason. Trevor you all right?" Trevor groaned from the floor. I have to admit I was holding in a laugh. "Let's go Deadly." And with that I was carried back to the Aphrodite cabin.


	7. Chapter 7

My sisters were in a frenzy after Tyler dropped me off at the Aphrodite cabin. Ashley and Melissa hounded me with questions. "What about Nico?" "I thought you were with Apollo!" "Aren't you leaving for your quest tomorrow?" "You have to pack!" "Isn't Nico going on the quest?" I slipped off my shoes and threw them at my sisters. "Will you two can it?" Ashley folded her arms and smirked, "Only if you answer our questions." Melissa just bobbed her curly blonde head. I fell back on the bottom bunk underneath my bed. I groaned in annoyance. I forgot Ashley was sly. Not only can she steal eye shadow but she has it back in your makeup bag before you finish with the eyeliner. Melissa on the other hand, well, she has nice hair.

I sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Fine, what were the questions?" Ashley and Melissa smiled instantaneously. They did their little happy dance, too. I rolled my eyes at my sisters. "Before you attack me again I have some rules." Melissa side glanced at Ashley who was nodding her head. "First, talk slowly. Second, ask the questions one at a time and third, wait until I answer before asking another question." Ashley sighed over dramatically, "Okay, now move over." I moved over and folded my legs. Melissa sat next to me and Ashley sat towards the end of the bed. "So, what about Nico?" I thought it over for a minute. "I'm not so sure but it doesn't really matter." Ash raised her eyebrows at me. "It doesn't really matter?" Melissa gave me a questioning look from my right. "Deadly, he may be the son of Hades but he still has feelings and possibly a heart. If he finds out about Tyler-" "What are you talking about? Tyler and I are _friends_. Am I not allowed to make friends with old enemies?" Both my sisters avoided eye contact with me.

Everyone seems to have a problem accepting that boys and girls can _just _be friends, especially my sisters. Like me and Apollo, we're _just _friends. Tyler and I? We might be friends. I mean he helped me because I was injured, no one was around, and it was dark out. That could mean he doesn't totally hate me or we're friends. Will I ever know if we're friends? Probably not. Do I care? Not really.

Someone pounded on the front door. I was in no shape to get it so Melissa hopped off my bottom bunk and got the door. Standing there in her pajamas was Rebecca. Melissa ushered her inside. Becca slowly made her way towards me. "Night, Deadly." Ashley left my bed for her own. Melissa climbed into her own bed as well. Rebecca sat on the edge of my bed. "Hi." She whispered. "Hi." I greeted awkwardly. "Trevor told me what happened." I bit my lip to stop myself from cussing. "He's really sorry." I looked up at the fifteen year old. "Becca, if he was sorry he would have apologized. He wouldn't have sent you here to do it for him." She played with the ends of her hair. "You didn't have to kick him." At that moment I finally realized that Becca like Trevor more than a friend. Did she love him? Not at that moment in time but she definitely had feelings for him. "I was mad. You how I get when I'm mad and it's not like I didn't have a reason for hurting him. He's supposed to be my friend." Becca finally looked me in the eyes and she was glaring. "You always overreact and have to make something out of nothing don't you?" I spoke with venom in my voice, "Having someone close to you call you heartless is not nothing. Now get out of my cabin." Without a word Becca got up and slammed the door behind her on her way out.

I stumbled out of bed and changed into my pajamas. I wobbled back to my bed and decided to sleep on the bottom bunk tonight since my ankle was all out of whack. With a firm grip on my bed frame I tried to pick up my shoes that I had chucked at Melissa and Ashley. Someone must have kicked them underneath my bed because that's where I found them. I slowly got to my knees and crawled under my bed. Not only did I retrieve my shoes but I found a note there as well. I placed my things on top of my bed so it would be easier for me to get up. Once I was on my feet I grabbed my shoes and threw them in the direction of my closet. I had to pack tomorrow anyways so what was the point of putting them away?

I plopped on my bed and unfolded the piece of paper. It read:

To Our Dearest Deadly,

Your father and I have some unsettling news to share. We fear that your transformation of becoming a full goddess will be much sooner than expected. If strange things start to occur do not be alarmed. It would be best if you did share this new with Chiron, darling. If someone happens to make you rather angry and hostile it could bring out the Ares part of you and that could be (pardon the pun) deadly. In other words, it would be best for you to avoid enemies (such as the Hades boys) and surround yourself with friends (Trevor and Becca of course. Give them my love, Deadly) . I packed you something special and your father has done the same. Use the gifts wisely.

Mom

I folded the note and slipped it underneath my pillow. What gifts were she talking about? I emptied all my suitcases and found nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing I didn't check was my jewelry box that my mom made me bring. Now I think I know why she wanted me to bring it to camp so badly. I yawned and closed my eyes for a millisecond. Another person knocked on the door. Why don't people sleep at night anymore?

I'm not sure which one of my sisters opened the door and I didn't have the slightest clue who was at the door. I was too tired to care. "Deadly, it's for you!" Ashley's voice rang through the cabin. Why is it always for me? With a huff and a puff I made my way from my comfy, warm bed to the doorway.

When I saw who was standing in the doorway a took a deep breath instead of screaming. "What do you want Nico?" The seventeen year old smirked, "I want to talk." I clenched my fists, "I'm done talking for the night." He flipped his bangs out of his eyes, "Your talking right now." I took another deep breath. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. Nico wouldn't come inside so I was standing in the open doorway. "I'm tired and I want to go to bed. We can talk tomorrow." "We won't be alone for a while though and I have to tell you something important." He was probably expecting me to just follow him outside in the freezing cold. Did I? Hell no. I slammed the door in his face and went back to bed. Then I _finally_ fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

"!" I bolted upright in my bed, "Whaa?" Zoey Luna, the girl I met in the woods, came running up to my bed, "We're going on the quest today." I picked up one of my pillows and hummed it at her. "I know you-" "Watch the language." She caught the pillow and whacked me on the head with it. "Ow." I rubbed my head and made my hair even more tangled and ungodly. "Let's go. We'll be late for breakfast." I groaned in annoyance.

She does have eyes, I'm just wondering if they work very well because my hair rivals Medusa's in the morning. "What? Just throw some shoes on and go." Zoey urged. I kicked my blankets off and got out of bed. I stumbled a little because the pressure on my ankle wasn't the best feeling in the world. "I can't just throw shoes on and go! My mother would murder me with a curling iron! And I'm not going to be killed by a curling iron!" Zoey folded her arms and narrowed her eyes, "You're kidding, right?"

I turned around and headed towards my closet. I slipped on my short, black Uggs and tucked my pajama pants into them. I slipped on a plain black sweatshirt before heading back to Zoey. It wasn't that cold out but I don't wear a bra to bed and I wasn't going to breakfast all freelance.

"You don't own a straightener?" Melissa asked Zoey beyond surprised. "For the tenth time, Melissa, no." The girl answered aggravated. "But your hair is so curly and even girls with straight hair own a straightener." Zoey snorted at my air headed sister. "If I gave a damn what my hair looks like I would carry a mirror around 24/7 like you and your idiot sisters but I don't. Why? Because I don't care. I carry a bow around to get rid of annoying people who say I need a straightener, like you." Melissa's complexion was ghost white. "Uh, Zoey, why don't we head over to the chow hall?" Zoey went from being pissed off to happy. I think it had to do with my mentioning of food. "Let's go, Stiletto." I scrunched my nose, "Stiletto?" She patted me on the shoulder, "It's your new nickname."

We started walking out of the cabin and towards , what I like to call, the chow hall. "It's better than Barbie, so I can't complain too much." Zoey side glanced at me, "Not complaining at all would be nice." I smacked her arm, "Watch it shorty." Zoey sighed. "Fine." She said sarcastically. We spent the rest of the walk in silence. Which isn't saying much since my cabin is like two seconds away from the chow hall. Zoey headed towards the Artemis table without a word. I did a double take. That table was only used by the Hunt. Why was Zoey sitting there? Oh my gods! Artemis finally got some!

Okay, back to breakfast. I was, like so many times before, the only one at the Aphrodite table. I really wish my sisters cared less about there looks. That way they'd be at breakfast on time. I picked up my plate and made my way towards the hearth. I threw in some sausage for my dad and a little cheese omelet for my mom. To my disappointment, Hestia was talking to Nico, which meant I wouldn't get to talk to her before I left for the quest. I took my seat at the table and wished for a hot caramel latte with skim milk to fill my chalice. In mere seconds the cup was filled to the brim with my steaming beverage. I thanked the gods then took a sip. It burned my throat but I knew I wasn't going to be able to enjoy a latte for awhile. I took another sip that scathed my throat. I was really going to miss this.

I almost finished my hash browns when _she_ sat down. The only sister I truly hated, Demetria. She wasn't an annoying airhead like most of my sisters. She was an evil, conniving whore. Melissa lost her first serious boyfriend to Demetria. Ashley caught one of her boyfriends with Demetria last year. She got kicked out of our cabin two summers ago. Now she lives in the infirmary under Chiron's watch. She's kind of on lockdown for being a slut.

"Hey, Deadly." Demetria greeted. "Hi." I responded curtly. "So…..I was wondering….whose gonna be in charge while you're on the quest? I mean, I'd be more than happy to take-" "Ashley's in charge, Demetria." The devil wearing Prada glared at me. "Why is _she_ in charge?" I took a deep breath and counted to ten in my head. I didn't want this conversation to end with me punching Demetria's face in. Well, not yet. "Ashley won't let it go to her head. That's why." The girl scoffed, "She will, too. I on the other hand won't. I don't see why you don't leave me in charge, Deadly." I folded my hands and placed them on the table and said in fake sweet voice, "Quick question for you, would you give a criminal the keys to his cell? A suicidal person a gun? Or a clown a whoopee cushion?" Her face looked utterly confused, "No?" I cocked my head to the side, "Then why would I give someone as greedy as you a position of power?" Let's just say she left with steam coming out of her ears.

I finished up the rest of my breakfast in mere seconds and headed back to my cabin to pack. Since I didn't have a backpack, I went digging through my sisters' closets. Guess what I found? Not one freaking backpack that's for sure. And no one was around to help me. The whole Aphrodite cabin was at the arena ogling the guys practicing sword fighting.

I decided to ask Nico if he had a spare backpack I could borrow. He wasn't my first choice though. I was originally going to ask Becca or Trevor but then I remembered we're kind of not talking so Nico won in the long run. I quickly made my way to the Hades cabin. With one knock the door was opened by a smiley Tyler. "What's up, Deadly?" He said in an extremely happy voice. Someone had coffee this morning. Well, so did I but I can obviously handle my caffeine. "Hey, is Nico in there?" Tyler smirked a little, "Nah. He's at the beach. Why?" I smacked him on the shoulder, "I just wanted to know if he had a backpack I could borrow." Tyler chuckled a bit, "I think he has a spare one, come in and help me check."

I closed the door behind me and followed Tyler to Nico's bunk. "You check under his bed and I'll check his closet." I arched my eyebrows, "Under his bed?" Tyler nodded, "Trust me, his closet is way worse." I pushed up my sleeves, "Okay." I got down on my knees and started digging through the crap that occupied the space between Nico's bed and the floor.

Ten minutes later I had an old Jansport in my hands (Obviously it was black). "Tyler, I found one!" Tyler walked over with a sweatshirt thrown over his shoulder, "Good, now get out." I slung the backpack over my shoulder, "Excuse me?" He smiled, revealing his pearly whites, "You're driving my brother insane. He's probably still at the beach. Maybe you two can talk things out." Before this boy started talking I thought he was a hands down son of Hades but since he's opened his pie hole I'm having second thoughts. "Since when are you interested in your brother's love life?" "Since he hasn't stopped sulking about how you give 'mixed signals'." We both burst out laughing and we didn't stop for a good five minutes.

Once I sobered up from my laugh attack I decided to go find Nico. "Do you think he's still at the beach?" Tyler nodded his head, "Yeah, he usually spends hours there." I did a double take, "Really?" The son of Hades sighed, "Yeah, now go." I put my hands up in surrender, "I'm going, I'm going." And after that I was gone.

On my way to the beach I didn't have much on my mind. I was cutting through the woods and loving fact that no one was around. I noticed Nico right away once the beach came into view. He was the only thing dark and deadly on the whole shore. I snuck up behind him and covered his eyes, "Guess who?" He laughed lightly, "Demetria?" I whacked him in the neck, "Guess again, dip wad." Nico removed my hands from his face, "I'm just messing with you, Deadly." I sat down besides him, "You better be. I hate that-" "Watch the language." I rolled my eyes, "Oh, please."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. It was nice because it gave us both a little time to think. Okay, it gave Nico time to think and me time to watch the waves crash into each other. "Do you want to go on the quest?" The Prince of Darkness asked randomly. "Not at all." I looked out towards the ocean to avoid his eyes. "Why not?" He asked intently. "Because….because I don't want to be responsible for someone's death or have my screw up cause another person pain. I'm just scared I'm going to mess up and that if I do, something bad will happen." Nico wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head in the crook of his neck. "You'll do fine. Messing up makes you human." That's thing, I wanted to tell him, I'm not human.

"Nico?" I was aiming to change the subject. "Yeah?" He whispered in my ear. "What's up with the whole P.D.A. thing going on between us. Last year we were down each other's throats and now…..okay that wasn't the best choice of words but you know what I mean." Nico moved his arm from my shoulders to my waist and pulled me closer. "My brothers and I were, uh, talking one day about….stuff and that's when I realized I liked you." I looked up into his big brown eyes, "You do know that you so didn't answer my question, right?" He smirked, "Hell yeah." And he pecked my lips.

If you haven't noticed we tend to be extremely bipolar. Like we'll argue then we'll make out. Actually, a lot of people are like that these days, go figure. "Why do you have my backpack?" Nico asked with fake skepticism. "Because I don't have one and I need it for the quest." He rolled his eyes, "Thanks for asking." "Technically, I did ask. I got permission from Tyler." Nico shook his hair out of his eyes, "That shouldn't count." I patted his arm, "Well, it does."

We hung out on the beach for another twenty minutes before heading back towards camp. I retrieved my jewelry box from my cabin and stuffed it in Nico's backpack. It was the one thing in my cabin that I actually needed. Everything else was dead weight. I jogged over to the Hades cabin and let myself in. Nico was all packed and ready to go. "Hey." I walked over to him, "Hey." He handed me a first aid kit, a flashlight, and fifty bucks. "You're gonna need these." I slide the backpack off my shoulder and unzipped it. Nico put the stuff in without a word.

"Thank you. Now we just need to get Zoey and-" "I need to talk to you first." I plopped down on someone's bottom bunk. "Okay, about what?" Nico took a deep breath and we locked eyes. "As soon as we get back from the quest," He took another deep breath, "I want you to officially be my girlfriend." A small smile graced my lips. I could feel my cheeks burning. How freaking embarrassing. "Uh, o-okay," I cleared my throat, "Is that what you wanted to talk about last night?" He scratched the back of his head, "Mostly." I ran a hand through my unruly locks, "Well, we're gonna have to talk about it later because we don't exactly have time." "Right…"

We weaved our way to the Artemis cabin in record time. Nico didn't believe that Zoey was Artemis's daughter. I spent the whole walk here telling him it was true and that I wasn't messing with him. "Are you sure?" He asked, once again. "Yes!" I exclaimed aggravated. "I was just asking…." "For the hundredth time." I mumbled under my breath. I knocked on the cabin door and Zoey opened it with an annoyed expression, "Took you two long enough." I pointed to Nico with my thumb, "Blame him, not me." Zoey shrugged, "I was going to anyway." She slung a navy blue backpack over her shoulder and joined us outside her cabin. "Let's get outta here." The three of us headed towards the Big House and from there we would begin our quest.


	9. Chapter 9

"Deadly, we should go-" "Let's stop for some KFC." Zoey interrupted Nico. "No, you were saying?" Nico cleared his throat, "I was saying that I think it would b best if we find a safe and fast way to hell." That sounds weird, like anyone is going to make it to hell all safe and sound. Zoey snorted, "Where's the fun in that? Oh, how 'bout some Dunkin Donuts?" I rolled my eyes, "We are not stopping for food!" I exclaimed. She gave me the puppy dog eyes, "But there's a Wendy's close by…." I'm really starting to wish I had brought Snake or Spike with me. Ugh, did I really just think that? "No pit-stops." "Well, not yet." Nico interjected. "What about that fancy shmancy Italian place?" She pestered. "For the billionth time, no!" She folded her arms, "I was asking Nico." I turned and glared at Nico, "If you say yes I swear I'll-" "I'm not in the mood for Italian." How rude! He didn't let me finish my threat and it was a good one, too! Well, at least he said no. That proves he's not a total idiot.

So anyway, we are currently in Pennsylvania. Argus drove us as far as Philadelphia before he kicked us out. He usually doesn't drive that far for half-bloods but he's really nice….or he knows I'm a goddess….or he's afraid of Nico….or he's afraid of Zoey. I'm not exactly sure why he drove us the extra miles but whatever. As soon as Argus pulled away Nico went all Christopher Columbus on me and started giving directions. At first, I was surprised he could tell which way was north, south, east, and west. The shock wore off when I caught him sneaking looks at a compass.

"You know, Nico, you're really good at directions." I said while we were taking a breather. He shrugged his shoulders and plastered a cocky smile on his face, "Yeah, I now this country like the back of my hand." I raised and eyebrow at the boy, "So you need a compass for the back of your hand, too?" Nico's face went red and he mumbled something under his breath. Zoey high-fived me with a big smile on her face. "In the great words of Michael Kelso, BURN!" I burst out laughing at Zoey's statement. I mean who doesn't love That 70's Show?

Once Zoey and I stopped laughing and Nico's face returned to its normal color, we decided to take a pit-stop. Zoey's growling stomach and Nico's crazy idea of being in charge lead us to a Burger King. I suggested Starbucks but why would they listen to me? I'm just the one in charge. Well, I'm supposed to be.

"Deadly, what do you want?" Nico asked while the cashier held her bored expression. _Dear Apollo, I bet you 20 drachma she messes up the order. _The sun shone a little brighter through the restaurant. That meant the bet was on. "Just get me a chicken sandwich and a diet Coke." Nico nodded his head then relayed the message to the not-so-excited cashier.

Zoey and I ditched Nico at the counter and starting looking for a table. A bunch were full of families with little tykes or business people that were probably on break. Zoey nudged me in the ribs, "Three o'clock." I turned right and felt a little drool escape my lips. Varsity football team must have just gotten out of practice. There was an empty booth right across from them and Zoey and I jumped into it. We weren't going to lose that kind of view.


	10. Chapter 10

After Nico and Zoey's little fight, I decided to set up camp and never talk to Nico again. If he still wants me to be his girlfriend when we go back to camp I'll send my daddy after him! That would be quite entertaining actually. Just picture the god of war throwing fire balls at Nico. "What's so funny," Zoey asked while pitching the tent. "Nothing," I answered. She gave me a look that screamed "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Once the tent was up, Zoey pointed out that only two people could fit inside. I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't see what the problem is." Zoey tilted her head to the side, "There are three of us but only two can fit in the tent." I took a deep breath. "I know. We'll sleep in the tent. The vermin can sleep on the dirt." "Why do I have to sleep outside," Nico questioned. His face reminded me of a snarling bear. "Zoey, don't you think Nico should sleep outside? I mean he's done this before. He must be used to sleeping on dirt and he has a weapon. If a monster stops by he can handle it since out of all of us he's the only one capable of killing a monster." Zoey had a creepy, evil smile on her face, "You're right, Deadly. Have fun sleeping outside, Dr. Doom."

Nico was shaking with anger. Instead of arguing back he turned around and walked away. This boy lives to piss me off. "Has he ever considered anger management classes?" Zoey was hammering the tent into the ground. "No, but he should. He's too irascible." Her head jerked up, "He's too what?" I rolled my eyes and exhaled loudly just like any drama queen would. Hanging around Athena is great for a person's vocabulary, except when that person is classified as a beauty, not a brain. "Irascible: easily made angry, hot-tempered." Zoey's mouth was a Shirley Temple "O". "I'm going to collect firewood," I stated in a bored tone. The fifteen year old nodded her head. "Okay," she replied but I was halfway gone by then.

I had a good stack of twigs and branches when I heard it. A loud, earsplitting, shriek. That's the thing with furies; you hear them before you see them. I dropped my pile of firewood. It scattered throughout the forest. I started running back to camp. I had to watch out for fallen trees and dead logs. That slowed me down but not by much. I knew my legs were no match for the furies' leathery wings but I had to keep going.

I looked over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of my attackers. They were so close. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I ran faster. Those bats out of hell had nothing on me! Well, they didn't up until I tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. I ended up twisting my bad ankle which made pain shoot through my left leg. I pushed up onto my knees and grabbed onto a low tree branch. I pulled myself to my feet just to be knocked down again by a fury. "Do not make things difficult," the fury screeched with its raspy voice. I rolled over to face the monster. Someone hasn't moisturized in the past millennium. "You really think I'm going to make this easy," I asked. The fury's eyes were glowing red with anger.

I looked around for something I could use as a weapon. I found nothing. Thanks a lot, Demeter. I got knocked out cold by a tree branch that whacked me in the back of the head.

I woke up with a major headache. On the bright side my ankle didn't hurt so much. I rolled onto my back. I felt like I was on a cloud. A big fluffy cloud with silky blankets you could curl up in. I opened my eyes to get a little clue as to where I was. Everything was black. The walls, ceiling, floor, and bed that I was laying in were all black. I crawled out of the bed to look for a window. After I kicked the blankets off I noticed someone changed my clothes. Instead of my sweat suit from Victoria's Secret I was in a black, satin dress. It had a slit up to my thigh and was long. In all honesty it was beautiful but I was a little freaked out about how it ended up on my body.

I decided to forget about the dress and open up a window. I searched the room with my eyes and noticed something odd about it. It was circular, usually rooms are square. That thought was pushed to the back of my head when a wall started moving. I walked up to it slowly anticipating something to pop out from behind it. As I got closer I discovered that the wall wasn't a wall. It was curtains. I pulled the curtains back. They were covering a big hole that I almost fell through. I peered outside to see fire blazing everywhere.

I figured out why the room was circular, too. I was in a tower. I closed the curtains over the hole and backed away slowly. I did a three sixty of the room. There wasn't a door in sight. I was locked in a tower in hell.


	11. Chapter 11

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw a tantrum like a three year old deprived of candy but what good would it do? I'd still be stuck in this hell tower. I felt like a freaking damsel in distress. Like some prince in shining armor had to come and rescue me. I'm not a princess living in some fairytale. I'm a goddess trying to survive the real world and Olympus. Didn't the damn furies know that? Actually I can't blame the furies because they only do what Hades tells them to do. So what does Hades want with me?

"I need a lot of things from you, Deadly." I turned around to see who the smooth voice belong to. It was Hades. "What am I doing here?" My voice trembled a little bit at the end. Being alone with Hades scared me to an extreme. I mean he's the god of death; wouldn't you be afraid, too? You know you would and don't pretend that you wouldn't. He took a step closer to me and looked into my soul. I relaxed instantly. "You're not the girl you appear to be, Deadly." I smirked a little, "I know." He had a curious look in his eyes. "Hmm, I wonder," he said dramatically. I rolled my eyes. Hades was a fan of the over dramatic crap. You know, fire, explosions, bling, and unfinished sentences.

I no longer felt afraid of Hades, just annoyed. He has that affect on everyone. "Okay, Hades, cut the crap. Why am I here? And you could have at least put a bathroom in this….thing." He chuckled and took a step closer to me. "Deadly, how well do you know Greek mythology?" I snorted, "Like the back of my hand." Hades smirked, "Then you know about my marriage to Persephone?" I nodded my head. What is he getting at? "So you are aware that I'm only with my wife for six months each year?" I nodded my head. Does he think I'm an idiot? Persephone has to spend six months a year with Hades because she ate six pomegranate seeds while he was holding her hostage and yadda, yadda, yadda. "Deadly, do you remember the winter solstice last year?" I started laughing at the thought. Hades heated up Hephaestus's chair for him with a nice, blazing fire. He only did it because Hephaestus was being not so nice to me.

My laughter was cut off by Hades's lips. He was kissing me and he wasn't bad at it. He pulled away and smiled at me. Then he got down on one knee. I was so caught off guard that I had no clue what was happening. Hades held my hand in his and looked me in the eyes. "Deadly, will you marry me?" My eyes went wide and my jaw was slack. "What?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Marry me," Hades repeated. "C-can I think about it?" Hades smiled and got up from his knee. "Of course," he stated happily. He kissed me on the cheek and then vanished. I fell onto the, or my, bed. I stuffed a pillow in my face and screamed. All of a sudden someone pulled the pillow out of my grasp. I sat up and looked around. I sighed to myself when I saw the culprit. "Are you even allowed to be here," I asked Apollo. He flashed his pearly whites, "Nope." I rolled my eyes and hopped off the bed.

"Whoa." Apollo's jaw dropped. I looked at him skeptically, "What?" Apollo smiled even brighter, "You look hot." I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Well, you do. You should wear dresses more often." I slapped him on the shoulder. "Watch it, mister. I'm almost taken." He arched an eyebrow at me. "Oh, really?" I nodded my head. "Yup, Hades proposed." Apollo's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "He what? I thought you were dating his kid! What's his name…..is it Nick?" My heart panged in my chest. I felt like I was going to throw up. "It's Nico," I whispered. "Yeah, Nico! Since when have you and Hades been…? I mean I know you had a crush on him when you were going through your 'rebel phase' because he had the leather pants and facial hair but Deadly, you're going to marry Hades?"

I felt someone's arm go around my waist and Apollo's face dropped. "What are you doing here?" It was Hades. "I came to check on Deadly," Mr. Sunshine replied. "Well as you can see she's perfectly fine," Dr. Death stated. "She's not fine," Apollo sneered, "Her boyfriend's father just asked her to marry him. How the hell could she be fine?" I was startled by Apollo. He doesn't really stand up for people because he's too full of himself. Hades turned me to face him and gripped my shoulders. "Deadly, is this true?" I thought about it for a moment.

Was it true? Nico and I were not boyfriend and girlfriend. We've never even been on a date. Plus he thinks I'm a brain dead Barbie doll. But what were Snake and Spike talking about before I set them on fire? I remember it had to do with Nico and love, maybe? Why did I throw fire at them again? Okay…so they were talking about Nico and love. Nico and love don't really mix but oh! They were talking about who Nico was in love with! Yeah, and they were about to say the girls name and then I threw fire at them but why? Why didn't I wait to hear the girl's name? That would have been perfect blackmail! Wait, the girl's name began with a D that's why I threw fire at them! I didn't want them to say my name! Well, let's think over this. There's a girl named Delilah from the Hephaestus cabin but she's never talked to Nico. Hmm, there's a Dana from the Demeter cabin but she's all flower power. Then there's …..then there's Demetria.

"No, it's not true. Nico and I…we're barely friends." Hades smiled at me and I forced one back. "Have you come to a decision," he asked a bit shyly. "Well, just answer me this," I took a deep breath, "why do you want to marry me?" Hades cleared his throat, "You are beautiful, smart, and you can kill a monster with a pair of shoes." Apollo, Hades, and I all laughed at the last part. "I'm going to have to say yes." Hades smiled brightly, "Really?" I nodded my head, "Yes, really!" Just as Hades was about to kiss me, Apollo pulled me into a bone crushing hug, "My little girl's getting married!" I rolled my eyes and hugged him back. Then I shoved him off just as fast.

Before Apollo could protest Hades gave me a kiss. "Now when will this event take place," my fiancé questioned. I pursed my lips and thought about for a moment. "Is two weeks too soon?" Hades shook his head, "No, it's perfect." I smiled and gave him a hug. day. "So, Deadly, can I be your Male of Honor," Apollo asked. I rolled my eyes. He is so not stealing my spotlight, especially on my wedding day!


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you sure about this," Apollo asked once Hades went back to work. "Well, yeah," I replied. He looked at me skeptically, "I don't believe you." I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter what you believe, okay? I'm getting married in two weeks no matter what anyone thinks," I said out of pure frustration. "Do you love him," he asked. "Of course I do," I answered. "Don't lie," he spat through gritted teeth. I nibbled on my bottom lip. I'm not 100% sure if I love Hades. I'm not 100% sure about anything anymore.

I don't even know what love is, okay? But I know that Hades is a good friend and that's all I need." Apollo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "People say that you're supposed to marry your best friend and marry someone that makes you happy," he stated. He obviously doesn't know who he's talking to. That's when I lost it. "Really? Well let's take a look at my parents. Are they married? Not to each other. Do they cheat? All the time. And what am I Apollo? I'm a freaking product of an affaire. My mom is married to Hephaestus. Does she love him? Not at all. Does he love her? Hell no. So don't try to preach to me about love and the sacredness of marriage. It's a waste of breath."

Apollo's whole demeanor softened. "Deadly, I-""Get out!" Apollo took a step closer to me, "Deadly-"I slapped him across the face. "I said GET OUT!" Apollo glared at me then vanished. He's such an ass wipe. Apollo's a self-centered, good for nothing, pretty boy. That's probably all he'll ever be, too. I don't see what the big deal is. No one marries who they love anymore. It's more like a challenge to see how long two people can stand living with each other. Yeah, I don't really believe in love. Shocker, right?

I heard a noise that sounded a lot like BANG. I turned around and guess who was standing in front of me? Zoey and Nico. "Need some rescuing," Nico asked sarcastically. I shook my head, "Actually, no." Zoey slapped Nico's shoulder. "I told you and um…new look for the vacation to hell?" A small laugh escaped my lips, "I guess you could say that." Zoey nodded her head, "Any chance I could get one in blue?" I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. You're gonna have to ask whoever gave this to me." Zoey thought it over for a second, "Okay." Nico, out of the blue, walked up to me. "What do you mean you don't need rescuing? Do you plan on staying here," he asked incredulously. "Yeah, I do." Nico did a double take, "What?"

I took a deep breath, "Well, I'm….I'm getting married." Nico's eyes were the size of the moon. "WHAT," Zoey screamed on the top of her lungs. I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. "I-I'm getting married," I repeated. "To who," she asked. I could tell she was dying to know. Zoey had to know everything but she's not annoying like some people. "I….uh…."

I didn't want to say this in front of Nico. He might go crazy or congratulate me. I didn't want him to do either. If he goes crazy that might mean that he likes me and if he congratulates me it means he could give a damn. Do I want to him to like me or no? I mean I know I lo-like him. I like him. It's just that he's not going to be around forever and I am. That's what it comes down to. I'm never going to stop living and Nico's time is going to be up one day. I don't want to get too attached if he's going to end up leaving me one way or the other.

"Nico, can Zoey and I have some girl talk?" He started shaking from anger, "Who are you marrying?" I remained silent. Nico took a step closer to me. "Who are you marrying," he growled. I still didn't answer. He took another step. Our faces were an inch apart. "Who," he repeated. His voice was barely a whisper and yet he still sounded angry. "Hades," I tried to say but it didn't come out. "H-Hades," my voice was barely audible. "Why would he marry you? You're not an _immortal_," he stated. He acted like didn't believe what I was saying. He sounded like he didn't believe what I was saying. "About that, my mom, as you both know is Aphrodite. My dad he's," I took a deep breath, "he's Ares."


	14. Chapter 14

Nico looked at me wide eyed for a minute. Then he shadow traveled his ass to who the hell knows. When he left I wanted to crumble to the ground and cry but I didn't. Instead, I started going over wedding details with Zoey. I know what you're thinking, wedding details with Zoey? Well, we were discussing how the cake will be. More believable, right? That's what I thought. "You should have like a chocolate waterfall," she exclaimed with a dreamy expression. "That'll be perfect," I replied cheerfully. Just picturing a chocolate waterfall cake had my mouth water and my memory forgetting Nico. It only lasted for a brief moment, though, since chocolate is Nico's favorite.

"So, uh, I was thing of going with red and black for the color scheme," I said, hoping to change the subject. Zoey nodded her head, "Cool." I rolled my eyes. "You're just so enthused," I stated with sarcasm. Zoey backhanded my shoulder, "Black and red just don't seem very you." I shook my head, "I wouldn't have picked them if I didn't like them." Now Zoey rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Stiletto." I pursed my lips, "That really is my new nickname, isn't it?" Lady Smart Ass nodded her head, "Duh."

I shook my head at her just as a big puff of pink smoke engulfed part of the room. That only meant one thing. "Mom!" I pulled her into a hug once she was all there. "Omigosh, my baby's getting married!" Mother dearest started jumping up and down, which I had no choice but to do.

"So what's your color scheme? Have you looked at dresses? How about a venue? Oh, and we need to pick out flowers," Aphrodite let out all in one breath. "My color scheme is going to be black and red and I figured we could get married here, in the castle." My mother gaped at me. "What? No no no no no no! My baby is not getting married in hell! You're getting married on Olympus. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!" I rolled my eyes at my mother. "Deadly, don't roll your eyes at me," she scolded. I closed my eyes so she couldn't see me rolling them. "Okay, I can work with red and black," she continued, "You like roses and hydrangeas, correct?" I nodded my head. "Oh! I want my bouquet to have red roses and black hydrangeas." My mother squealed in delight, "Perfect! We'll have to throw some diamonds on the flowers, though."

I felt my eyes go wide, "You can do that?" Aphrodite nodded her head in excitement. Zoey cleared her throat from behind us. "What language would you two happen to be speaking," she asked. My mom was a little taken aback at first. "Oh my gods, you're Artemis's daughter!" "Yup," Zoey replied, popping the "p". "Are you going to be a bridesmaid," she asked. "Nope," I cut in, "she's going to be my Maid of Honor." Zoey's eyes almost popped out of her head, "Really?" I nodded my head. "Awesome," she exclaimed. "Now we can go dress shopping," Aphrodite squealed. Zoey and I laughed. With my mom's help, I'll have the perfect wedding.


	15. Chapter 15

"Do we really have to," I asked my mom for the billionth time. "Yes, Deadly," she said curtly. I groaned in frustration. Aphrodite was taking me and Zoey back to camp Half-Blood. She insisted that we get the bridesmaids' dresses today because "we only have to weeks to plan the perfect wedding."

Zoey was excited to go back to camp. I, obviously, was not. I didn't want to go back for several reasons. One being Trevor and Becca, we still have unresolved issues. Snake and Spike were probably out of the infirmary, too. Another thing, is that Nico might have shadow traveled his ass back to camp. Although, I might be able to see Tyler and Rachel again.

"Let's go girls," my mom instructed. Zoey and I took hold of her arms and like that, we were at camp. She transported us right into the Big House. Rachel was so busy sketching something that she didn't even notice us. "Hey, Rach," I said to get her attention. The redhead jumped in her seat. "Hey, sorry, I didn't see you there," she said a little breathlessly. I shrugged my shoulders, "No problem, whatcha drawing?"

She flipped the sketchpad to show off her latest piece of work. It was a beautiful ball gown. It had a strapless, lace bodice and a big, tulle skirt. "Rach, that's gorgeous," I commented. She smiled sheepishly, "Thanks." My mother studied the picture intently. "That dress is perfect! Deadly, that's _your_ dress." I gave her a funny look, "Mom, Rachel may be a fantastic artist but she's not much of a seamstress." Aphrodite snapped her fingers and I heard a thud behind me. I turned around to face a headless manikin wearing Rachel's dress.

"Omigosh, you're Aphrodite," Rachel squealed. My mom flashed her blinding smile, "Yes, I am." The Oracle started jumping up and down. "The dress looks amazing! That's just how I pictured it," she exclaimed. My mother looked Rachel over and then smirked. Rachel has officially been Aphrodite approved. "You have great style. You should help us pick out the bridesmaid dresses." Rachel's face went from excited to confused. "Bridesmaid dresses," she asked. "Yeah, I'm getting married Rach and I was wondering, do you wanna be a bridesmaid?" Rachel nodded her head so fast I thought she would get whiplash.

"Wait, who are you getting married to?" I was about to answer but my mother did instead. "She's engaged to Hades." Rachel did a double take, "Hades? But what about-""We should probably get going on the shopping, don't you think, mom?" My mom checked her gold watch my dad got her for their anniversary. "You're right," she stated. "Deadly, you need two more bridesmaids, first," Mommy dearest said. I put my head down and rolled my eyes, so mom wouldn't see.

When I did roll my eyes, however, I caught a glimpse of what I was wearing. "Mom, what did you do to my clothes?" I was in super skinny black jeans, bright blue pumps, and a t-shirt that said 'Bride to Be'. To top it all off was a dark purple, leather jacket. It was cute but the t-shirt was a bit much. "What? You look cute. I don't see a problem," she said in a bored tone. I bit my tongue and stomped out the Big House. Sometimes it's easier to not argue.

Every step I took made my heels sink into the ground. It must have rained the other day. On my way to the Aphrodite cabin, I ran into Tyler, literally. "Whoa, hey, sorry D-Deadly?" He looked beyond surprised to see me. "Hey, it's alright," I responded with a smile. "What are you doing here? I thought," he just froze in place, "Nico?" I turned around. Mr. Di Angelo stood there glaring with pure hatred.

Nico started running towards me and Tyler. Once he was close enough he shoved me to the side. I ended up falling flat on my face. I don't think Nico noticed because when I looked up he was on top of Tyler, punching his lights out. I rolled onto my butt and attempted to get up but my pumps just sunk deeper into the ground. I slammed my fists into the ground. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It didn't work so I ripped my shoes off and jumped to my feet. I tried to pull Nico off Tyler but he was stuck to him like glue. His fist kept making contact with Tyler's face. Tyler was punching Nico's stomach.

I decided to do something really stupid. I crawled in between the boys. Tyler stopped throwing punched. Nico shoved his fist into my stomach. I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breathe. I rolled onto my knees and threw up. "Deadly!" Tyler wrapped his arm around my middle and pulled me to my feet. I threw up again. "Get Trevor," I moaned. "I'm gonna take you to him," Tyler said. "O-okay," I mumbled. Tyler picked me up bridal style and ran to the infirmary.


	16. Chapter 16

Once Tyler and I made it to the infirmary, Trevor helped me right away. There wasn't much he could do since I was having tummy issues. He just had Tyler lay me down on a cot and put a cold compress on my forehead. After I was all set, Trevor gave Tyler some cream stuff for his black eye and an ice pack. Tyler ended up occupying the cot right next to mine so we could chat. You know, about the weather and Nico beating us up.

"I'm so sure he didn't mean to hit you, Deadly. Sometimes he just gets so angry," Tyler said with one eye. I thought it was kind of funny how Tyler was trying to get me to forgive Nico, even after he gave him a black eye. "Don't make excuses for him. I mean, look what he did to you, there's no excuse for that," I said in monotone. I unfolded the towel drenched in cold water and put it over my eyes. The lights in the infirmary can be blinding. "I'm not making excuses for him. Our dad causes him a lot grief and every once in awhile he snaps." I started nibbling on my bottom lip. I stopped when it started bleeding.

"How does your dad cause _him_ grief," I asked skeptically. Tyler laughed maliciously, "Our dad hates us. Every birthday present we've ever gotten has been from Rachel. I doubt he knows when our birthdays are. We just say they're from our dad so people won't pity us. Nico gets the worst of it, though." I folded my hands on top of my stomach. "How," I asked in the calmest manner that I could. "You wanna know how? Hades is taking away one of the few things that Nico loves, forever," he answered in a more than obvious pissed off tone. "Which would be what," I scoffed. "You," he exclaimed angrily.

I bolted upright which caused the towel to fall from my eyes. My eyes didn't hurt, surprisingly. I'm becoming more like a goddess by the minute. "Tyler, I get that Nico might have feelings for me but he doesn't love me." Tyler rolled his eyes, "You have got to be kidding me." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, "What?" Tyler threw his ice pack on his cot and gripped the side of the cot. "I can't make you believe that he loves you but I can make you believe that our dad hates Nico the most out of all of his children." I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Fine," I said indifferently. "Hades knows how Nico feels about you," he began, "so he's making Nico be the Best Man."

I did a double take. Why would Hades do that to someone? I mean it's not surprising and I'm sure he has his reasons. Oh, would you listen to me? I can't believe I even _thought _that. Why am I making excuses for Hades? Maybe because I'm marrying him in two weeks but why am I marrying him? Sure, I had a crush on him when I was younger because he's the badass that got kicked off Olympus but what about now? Why did I say yes? Why didn't I think this through? Hades will make a good husband, I guess. What is going on with my head? Does my brain have PMS or something? Ugh, now I have a headache.

"Why are you even marrying my dad," Tyler asked. I snapped back to reality. "I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "You're not sure? Then why'd you say yes? You're just going to marry him for the hell of it," he asked. "Tyler, I have my reasons, okay?" Tyler shook his head, "No and how can you even marry my dad? What about Persephone?" Oh yeah, what about her? "I don't know," I answered meekly. "Your marriage won't be valid if he doesn't divorce her, you know that, right?" I snorted at the boy. "He's gonna cheat on me anyway, so what does it matter if our marriage is valid or not?" Tyler gaped at me for a second.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you doing this to Nico," he asked with pure confusion. I decided to come clean to Tyler. After all these years, I finally realized that he's not a monster. "Alright, look, I'm a goddess. My dad, he's Ares. I'm going to be around forever and Nico's not," I took a deep breath, "and maybe I don't deserve Nico, even though he just hit me, I know he didn't mean it. Maybe all I get is the idiot that got kicked off Olympus."

All of a sudden Nico was standing at the edge of the cot. He had his arms crossed against his chest and he was smirking. "Did I hear you right," he asked cockily. "Depends on what part you heard," I teased. His face switched to serious. "Do you think I'm too good for you?" I felt my cheeks heat up and palms get sweaty. He just had to hear that part of the conversation, didn't he? "Well, I….um…." Nico smiled a real, genuine smile. I never though I'd ever be able to see that.

Trevor stopped by to check up on me. "You're gonna need these," he said before handing me a container of Ice Breakers. I scrunched my nose, "Why?" Trevor shrugged his shoulders, "By the looks of it you two will be making out anytime now and you threw up twice in the past half hour." Everyone laughed and I wish I could have frozen that moment in time. Not because it was perfect, but because I was happy.


	17. Chapter 17

Trevor and I managed to patch things up and Nico apologized to me and Tyler. I'm not exactly sure why I forgave either of them. Normally I would have a held a grudge for much longer. Maybe, I did it because I may never see them again after the wedding. It's weird; I've never once wanted to get married. I even considered joining the hunt when I was younger. Then I turned thirteen and never gave it a second thought. Of all guys, or gods, I can't believe Hades is the one that changed my mind. The whole situation is just plain weird.

Zoey came bursting into the infirmary. "Deadly, your mom is looking for you. We have to get the dresses, remember?" I hopped off the cot and realized I was missing something important. "Yeah, but first I need to get some shoes." Zoey took off her backpack and placed on the nearest cot. She pulled out my blue pumps that I had deserted earlier. "Here," she said, tossing them over. I caught them in midair, "Thanks." She rolled her eyes. "There's no time for thank yous. You're mom is gonna kill someone if we don't get those dresses today." I slipped on my shoes. "Hold the attitude, short stuff." Zoey scoffed at me. "I hate shopping and I want to get this done and over with, Stiletto." I rolled my eyes. "Fine, where's my mom?" Zoey slung her backpack over her shoulder. "In her cabin," she replied.

I turned towards the guys, "See you later." Trevor gave me a one armed hug, "Bye." Tyler jumped off the cot and squeezed the life out of me. "Bye, Barbie," he teased. Surprisingly, that didn't bother me. Tyler kind of feels like my brother now. Lastly, there was Nico. He walked towards me slowly then he threw his arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. He kissed the top of my head and pulled away. "Bye, Deadly." I took a step away from Nico. "Bye," I said hoarsely. I turned on my heel and walked out with Zoey.

Is it normal that I wanted to cry but couldn't? I felt like something was stopping me. I seem to have this little voice in the back of my head that won't shut up about Hades. "You love Hades. He's all you need. Hades loves you," it repeated over and over. It was like every time I thought of Nico, I thought of Hades. It's not normal; at least I don't think so.

Once I stepped foot into the Aphrodite cabin I noticed my sisters were swarmed around my mom. I groaned when I realized they were occupying my bunk. I cleared my throat as obnoxiously as possible. Twelve perfectly shampooed and conditioned heads turned in my direction. "Omigosh, Deadly, you're getting married," they all squealed, at the same time. I forced a smile, "Yup, so if don't mind, mom and I have a wedding to plan. So," I trailed off, looking to my mom for some help. She gracefully got of my bed and straightened out her outfit. "Yes, we have to go dress shopping. Bye, loves," she said with her award winning smile.

Just as we were about to leave, I remembered I was forgetting someone. "Ashley, I know this is last minute but," I got down on one knee, "be my bridesmaid?" She giggled, and then started jumping up and down. "Yes, of course," she exclaimed, curls of red hair bouncing. I stood up and dusted off my jeans. "Good, now let's go," I said, linking arms with my little sis.

I was walking around the arena looking for Becca. She always spent most of her time here. I don't know why, to be honest. I've never been able to find my sword so I usually avoid this place. I noticed Snake was losing a fight, so I sat on the bleachers and watched. I can tell Snake and Spike apart by their hair. Snake has green highlights and Spike has red. Anyway, his opponent was in full battle armor. Snake didn't have a helmet. Then again I do remember a shiny ball near-oh that must have been his helmet. Too bad I kicked it somewhere over the rainbow.

I noticed the masked fighter was Becca when she stole Snake's sword. It was her signature move. She had him pinned on the floor with her sword at his throat. I knew he wouldn't let her win so easily, though. He pulled out his switchblade and jabbed at her side. She quickly threw her sword to the side and wrapped her left hand around his neck. She used her right hand to grab at the blade. Snake was gasping for air and rapidly losing strength. Snake dropped the switchblade and Becca jumped off him. She threw her helmet in the stands and started doing her happy dance while Snake gasped for air.

I started clapping and Becca turned in my direction. She gaped at me for a second, and then she came hurtling up the bleachers. "Deadly," she screamed, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. When will this girl learn that armor + hugs= suffocation! "Becca…..can't…..breathe," I croaked. She let go of me. "Sorry," she apologized with a sheepish smile. "So, I have to ask ya something." Becca's eyes went wide. "What? What? What?" I smirked and shoved my hands in my pockets. "I need another bridesmaid because I'm getting married in two weeks." Becca gave me another bone crushing hug. "I know you're getting married but I get to be a bridesmaid! Yes," she cheered. "Okay, now we have to go get the dresses," I said. "Yay," my armored friend squealed. I rolled my eyes.

"That's the dress," I exclaimed. We had been to three dress shops already and we've found no bridesmaid dresses remotely pretty. Fortunately, I've found luck at Lala's Closet. At least, I think that's the name of this shop. Now back to the dress, it was black satin and had a red waistband. It was floor length and had a sweetheart neck line. Plus, it flowed and pooled at the bottom, so it would look good on all the girls.

"Great, we get to try on another dress," Zoey said sarcastically. "It'll be the last one," I stated, handing her the dress. She rolled her eyes but went to the dressing room none the less. "Those dresses are perfect," Aphrodite squealed. I smiled due to my mother's behavior. "Yup," I said, popping the 'p'.

A saleslady walked over to me and mom. Her hair was a tangled mess and her complexion was no better. "Finding everything okay," she asked with a raspy voice. I looked her over. She had on a long, baggy skirt and a tight button down shirt. Her nametag read "Mia". "No, we're all set," my mom said dismissively. "Well, just let me know if you need anything. This _is_ my shop after all," the woman said suspiciously. I looked her over again.

Why is this place called "Lala's Closet" if her name's Mia? What do Lala and Mia have in common? Lalamia? Hey, that has a cool ring to it! Lalalalalamia! Lalalalalalamia! Wait, holy shit, Lamia! The man-eating crazy she-bitch! No wonder why she was wearing that gods awful skirt, it was to hide her tail. I checked the shop for possible weapons. I found nothing but then I remembered I had one with me.

I pounded on the dressing room door. "What," the demigod groaned. "Open the door, now," I demanded. The door was pulled back to reveal a very pissed off looking Zoey. "What," she groaned, again. She was wearing the dress and she looked amazing. "Okay, one: we're getting that dress and two: I need a weapon." Zoey cocked an eyebrow. "What for," she clicked her tongue. "Because there's a Greek monster on the loose," I said through gritted teeth. Her face lit up. "Really," she asked all chirpy. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, now get me a weapon because I know you have at least one on you!" She sighed over dramatically, "Fine."

She rummaged through her clothes before tossing me a pocketknife. I caught it and said a quick thank you. Time to kill a monster!


	18. Chapter 18

Lamia stood behind the check out counter, glaring at me. "I used to be beautiful once, just like you," she said with envy. I smirked and strutted towards her. "I guess that's what happens when you mess with the gods," I spat. Lamia swung her serpent-like tail at me. I grabbed a hold of it and was thrown into a rack of puffy prom dresses. My head bounced of the metal rack and it hurt like hell. That just made me want to kick her ass more.

I pushed off the ground and charged. I heard screaming in the background, probably my mom and Ashley. I flipped open the blade and stabbed at Lamia's tail that she was whipping around. "Bitch," she screeched. I smirked and slid on my stomach towards her legs. "You better believe it," I said, stabbing her lizard legs. The scales were hard to puncture but I still cut her up badly. She pulled at my hair and screamed. I looked up for a second. She had an arrow stuck in her arm. I had a feeling Zoey had something to do with it.

I felt Lamia pull on my hair again. It made my head hurt even more and is it me or does she fight like a little girl. It's like throw a punch already! I heard Lamia snicker and I looked up. She had ripped out some of my hair. "You bitch," I screamed. I wrapped my arms around her arrow infested one and pulled my self to my feet. I took the blade and stabbed at her shoulders, face, and arms. She screeched and clawed at me. The monster kicked at my shins but I ignored it. There was no way I was going to let her win.

She grabbed at my hair and pulled some more out. I stabbed at her wrist and hit an artery. Monster goo spewed out everywhere, including my hair. "Ugh, that is it," I yelled. I punched Lamia in the face and she stumbled backwards. I took the opportunity and drove the knife into her chest. With one last scream she was monster dust. "Never mess with the hair," I stated triumphantly.

I picked the knife up out of the ashes and flipped it close. I rubbed it on my jeans to get the monster dust off it. All of a sudden Zoey was by my side, retrieving her arrow. "Here and thanks," I said, handing her the pocketknife. She took it and shoved it in her back pocket. "I couldn't let you have all the fun," she teased. I rolled my eyes. "Getting your hair pulled out of your head is just sooo much fun," sarcasm dripped on my every word. She shrugged, "I like a good fight, Stiletto." "You are so Artemis's daughter," I laughed.

I dusted myself off and walked back to the dressing rooms. The girls were all standing there in the bridesmaid dresses with their jaws on the floor. My mother looked horrified. "Your hair," she screeched. My hand flew to my head. My hair was still there so I have no clue why she was so panicky. Maybe there was still some monster goo in my hair. That would cause her to flip. "Mom, calm down. I'll shampoo and condition when we get home."

She sighed in relief, "Good. Now what do you think of the dresses?" I looked over the girls one more time. "They're perfect. Are we going to have to pay for them," I asked. My mom thought it over for a second. "No," she decided, "we're too good for that." I put my hands on my hips. "Dad hid the mortal money and cut off your credit cards, didn't he?" She put her head in her hands. "They were Gucci boots! Pink leather with silver buckles! I couldn't help it if they weren't on sale," she sobbed. I rolled my eyes. Some things just never change.


	19. Chapter 19

If you didn't know this already, time flies. I felt like Hades asked me to marry him five minutes ago not two weeks ago. Over those two weeks my mom and I managed to plan the picture perfect wedding. It was mostly my mom's doing but I had to approve everything. I still wasn't sure why I was going through with this. I guess it was just a gut feeling and that little voice in the back of my head.

About a week ago Hades got me my engagement ring. It was a skull and crossbones encrusted entirely with diamonds. It was beautiful but not how I pictured it would be. Anyway, I figured out that Persephone and Hades got divorced awhile back. He finally decided to let her go because of me. Now we can legally be married. Another thing about the wedding, it's going to be in hell. Zeus made it clear to my mom that Hades is not allowed back on Olympus, even for his wedding. I wasn't all that bummed. I mean _everyone_ gets married on Olympus.

"You sure about this kiddo? There's still time to cut and run," my dad urged. He took the news worse than Nico. Everyday he tells me it's not too late and I can call it off. Well, today's the big day and I feel…..numb. I don't have cold feet and I'm not super excited. I'm just numb. "Dad, I'm going through with this," I said emotionlessly. Ares shook his head. "I wish you wouldn't," he mumbled under his breath. I pretended like I didn't hear him.

I felt a pull on my dress and turned around. Jason was there in his little tuxedo. I asked him to be the ring bearer and after I explained what that was to him, he accepted. I bent down so we were eye level. "What's up, little buddy," I asked the mini Apollo. His cheeks turned pink. "You look really pretty. Like the princesses in those movies my sister makes me watch," he said. I smiled and laughed a little. He's such a cutie pie. I gave him a hug. "Thanks, munchkin."

I heard the music, signaling Rachel's entrance. Before she walked down the isle she gave me hug. "Listen to your heart," she whispered in my ear, then 'glided' down the isle. Ashley gave me a one armed hug before it was her turn to go. "You look deadly," she joked. I laughed, "Just go. Mom will kill you if you miss your cue." She nodded her head and grabbed her bouquet of blood red roses. Becca just full on attacked me with a hug. "Trust no one," she whispered in my ear. I did a double take as she walked down the isle. What was that all about?

Zoey tripped over in her heels with her bouquet already in her hands. "I'm not gonna hug you or anything. It's not my thing but listen to Becca and Rachel. They know what they're talking about. Someone's hiding something." I sighed and shook my head. "You guys suck at giving advice." Zoey shrugged her shoulders and plastered a fake smile on her face. Mom must have given her the cue.

My dad held out his arm to me, "Ready?" I nodded my head and linked our arms together. He handed me my bouquet of red roses and black hydrangeas with diamonds here and there. Just as we were about to walk down the isle my dad stopped. He pulled a silver bracelet out of his pocket. It had red rubies dangling from it. "Just in case," he said, snapping it around my wrist. "Just in case what," I asked as the music started. "You'll see," he smirked. I couldn't question him further because we had to walk down the isle. Funny thing though, the song was I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick. That's not the song I picked out but I liked it better.

Everyone stood as I journeyed towards Hades. All gods and goddesses were present and even some demigods. As I got closer and closer to the alter he looked more and more handsome. I knew he rented the tux but it still looked amazing on him. His red silk tie popped over the black button down. I was so use to him in all black that I decided against the red shirt. It just wasn't him. Nico looked best in all black anyway. I know, I'm thinking about Hades's son and not him. Why should I? I don't love him. I love Nico and I always will.

The song stopped playing and my dad handed my over to Hades. We stood in front of Zeus. He started talking but I didn't hear him. I was lost in Hades's eyes. They would change from purple to green and from green to red. Just like the mist surrounding his statue in the Hades cabin back at camp Half-Blood. I felt like I was…..under a spell and I was. I was being forced to love Hades. The spell said yes to his proposal, not me. Now who has the power to make people love? Aphrodite.

I let go of Hades's hands since ours were somehow tangled together. My right hand felt heavy like something was in it. I looked down. I was holding a diamond sword with a silver hilt encrusted with rubies. The bracelet my dad gave me was gone. I looked over to my side of the church. Mom and dad were sitting in the front row. Without a second thought I ran over and sliced my mom's head off. My dad didn't seem fazed what so ever, he just smirked. "That's my girl," he mumbled.

Someone tugged on my arm. I spun around. It was Hades. I saw him differently now. He was a heartless monster in my eyes. I stabbed at his shoulder. He backed off. I wiped the ichor on my sword off on my dress. Like I gave a damn about this stupid dress anymore but it does look better with the golden smudges of ichor all over the skirt. Now back to kicking ass.

Next on the list: Ate. I can't say I'm surprised she's at my wedding. I mean who else is going to be able to sabotage Nico? Mom can't make someone fall out of love, just in love. Ate smirked and got out of her seat. She walked slowly down the isle towards me in cheap ass heels from Kmart. "You're not as dumb as I thought," she sneered. "You're uglier than expected," I replied. She literally _growled_ at me. I charged at her. She went to grab my sword but I sliced her hand off. She screeched like a fury but then smirked at me.

She cradled her arm and looked devilishly behind me, at Nico. "Come here, Nico," she cooed. He nodded his head and walked over like a zombie. He pushed past me and stood directly in front of Ate. She looked at him with a serious expression. "She doesn't love you. Remember why you're here. _She_ was going to marry your father. Are you going to let her get away with making you suffer?" Nico turned and glared at me. "No," he spat through gritted teeth. "Hephaestus, if you will," Ate said, turning around.

A celestial bronze sword flew through the air. Nico caught it with ease. He jabbed at the air and swung it around a few times. He smirked at me. "I'm going to make you pay," he said viciously. I knew this was Ate's doing. She was going to make me and Nico fight, to the death. I'd like to know who the hell invited her in the first place. Probably my mom. Bitch.

Nico charged at me. I side stepped and he went crashing into the alter. He jumped to his feet but Tyler held him back, for a second. "What are you doing," he yelled. Nico elbowed him in the chest. Tyler staggered back and Nico came running at me.

He went to stab at my chest but I deflected his sword. He swiped at my feet but I jumped over the sword. I wasn't really fighting back. I was just defending myself. "I can't believe it. After all these years I was right," Nico slashed at my neck. I managed to stop him from slicing my head off but he did catch my shoulder. Ichor fell from the wound. "You're Queen of the Barbies. Completely plastic," he swung at my stomach but I caught his sword in mine. I slid our swords upward so our faces were only inches apart. Our swords were the only things separating us.

I looked Nico in the eyes. He seemed to be having an internal conflict. "Nico, listen to me," I said nervously. He didn't say anything but he put a little less pressure on his sword. I pushed up on his sword. "I love…," I began to say. Am I really going to give him this advantage? Telling him I love him could be blackmail if he doesn't feel the same. I thought he did but now he's trying to kill me. That's only because of Ate, though.

Why is saying I love you so hard? Why can't it just spew out like vomit? Why can't it be like, "I love you. Now pass the gravy"? Why is love one of the few things I'm truly scared of? I mean my mother is freaking Aphrodite! Then again, daddy's the god of war and shit. Maybe the only thing I get from my mom _is_ my looks. It's not like I take that much pride in how I look. Sometimes I just don't give a damn.

"You love what," Nico spat. I blinked a few times and stopped thinking. "I love," my eyes darted around the room. They landed on the biggest slice of heaven ever. "I love chocolate cake," I exclaimed as serious as possible. Nico's form faltered for a minute. I pushed harder on my sword. Nico reacted by putting way to much pressure on my sword. In seconds my diamond sword shattered. I was awestruck at the small crystals that rained everywhere.

Nico pulled me by the waist with his sword free hand. It was kind of like a one armed hug. "I love you too," he whispered in my ear. I felt a little queasy when he said that but in a good way! If that's possible…..

My prince in dark armor turned and shoved his sword right through Ate's stomach. She was skewered like a shish kabob. I hope they have those at the reception, if there's still going to be one. Back to Nico's moment. Ate fell to the ground ungracefully. Nico kicked Ate in the face and I heard her neck snap. The joys of having a physically fit boyfriend. Well, I think he's my boyfriend. I mean he did say that he loves me and I announced that I love cake so…

I heard clapping. My head jerked towards the alter. It was Hades who was applauding. "You're still here," I asked obnoxiously. Hades's face twisted into a snarl. "Yes, now, darling, we are to be wedded." I plastered a fake smile on my face and pulled off the gaudy engagement ring. "Sorry, sweetie but I'm not marrying you," I said, chucking the ring at his face. Hades slapped the ring away and glared at me. "Fine, we don't need to be married anyway," he rationalized. I looked at him like he was crazy, because he kind of is. "What do you mean 'anyway'?"

Hades smirked and took a step closer. "Well, I only need children out of you." I felt a little queasy. He wanted to….he wanted to….ugh! That's so gross! "Why do you want…that….from me," I asked, completely disgusted. "How else am I going to make it back on Olympus? You have the blood of Ares and Aphrodite. Mix it with mine and I have my own little army," he explained all cocky.

I heard the clang of a sword, maybe. I wasn't to sure since the clanging came from behind me. I saw a blur of black hurtle past me. In a split second Poseidon's trident was through Hades's chest. You could see the three points sticking out of his back. The gold ichor oozed out of Hades. I wasn't disgusted, horrified, or grossed out. I was actually quite satisfied. I was a little shock to find Nico huffing and puffing to my right. Was he the one who just..? Holy crappers, he just killed his dad. Gods, I love him.

I snaked an arm around his waist and pulled him close to me. I kissed his cheek and then rested my head in the crook of his neck. His chest was still heaving like crazy. I've never seen him run so fast, I guess this is the aftermath. Nico wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head. Now this is how it's supposed to be. This is how it should have been from the beginning.

Had my mom been the one keeping us apart from the beginning? Is she the reason why I had a crush on everyone except Nico? I realized how I felt about him when we kissed for the first time and the second and the third. Every time he screwed up, was it Ate's fault or his? I'd rather go with Ate, so I will.

"Well, that was eventful," Zeus bellowed. Nico and I jumped apart. We kind of forgot where we were for a minute. "I cannot say that I am going to miss Aphrodite or my brother, so I will not. However, they held important positions and will need replacing. Deadly you will take your mother's place and Nico; you shall take your father's place." I raised my hand. Interrupting Zeus is _not_ on my bucket list. "Yes, Deadly," Zeus asked with a sigh. I put my hand down and bit my lip. "Nico's not exactly, well, immortal."

Zeus seemed to think it over for a second then rolled his and shot Nico with a lightning bolt. Nico collapsed to the ground. "What the hell did you do," I screamed. Zeus glared at me. "I made him immortal, you-""Grandpa! Watch your mouth," I scolded. Zeus face looked like stone. "Did you just call me….Grandpa?" I rolled my eyes. "Yeah," I answered. Nico moaned and rolled over. I kneeled down near his head. "You okay," I asked. "Yeah," he groaned. "Good," I got to my feet, "now get up."

After a few moans and groans Nico was on his feet. There was something different about him though. He seemed taller and more muscular. He also appeared to be glowing. "Whoa," I said, ogling him. Nico gave me a funny look. "What," he asked. I shrugged my shoulders, "You look hot. That's all."

Someone cleared their throat rather obnoxiously. It was probably Ares. "Okay, Deadly, you will take the place of your mother and Nico you can now take the place of your father," Zeus bellowed. He tends to bellow a lot. It's like he can't just talk regularly. He has to be heard by everyone. "I'm a god? Awesome," Nico exclaimed. "Why does he get to be ruler of the Underworld," Snake whined. "Because I said so," Zeus stated. Snake kept his mouth shut. Zeus can say that kind of stuff without being questioned. Son of a bitch.

"I'm ruler of the Underworld," Nico asked, his skin a sickly green color. I took hold of his hand. It was cold and clammy. "Nico," I stated, trying to grab his attention. Our eyes connected and he looked scared. "Am I damned to live in hell forever," he asked meekly. "You're not damned like your father. You have to live in hell but you're allowed on Olympus," Zeus, once again, bellowed. Nico's face gained some color. I guess that means he's back to normal because he's naturally pale.

"You okay," I whispered to Nico. "Yeah," he grunted. I rolled my eyes and realization came over me. "Crap, I'm the goddess of sex," I whined. A lot of people started cracking up. "Guess your gonna have to lose your virginity then," Nico said, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "That ship has _sailed_," I stated. He got a little red in the face, "What?" I grabbed the back of his head and kissed him full on the lips. I heard the grunts and groans of bystanders in the back of my head. I kissed Nico harder. They had to put up with it because I, Deadly Beau, am the goddess of love and beauty and he, Nico, was ruler of the Underworld and we are in love. Now that's a happy ending.


End file.
